A lot of Xavier fans wanted him back at X; they’re going to be pretty disappointed.
First, the news:
Cougar Nation
Just about a year ago my family joined me at Cistern Yard to celebrate the start of something special here in Charleston. You have been incredibly supportive from day one. The Macks can’t wait to run it back in year two. Better than ever.
Go Cougs!!
— Chris Mack (@CoachChrisMack) March 26, 2025
After Sean Miller chased the bag to Texas, Chris Mack’s name came up in conversations about his replacement almost immediately. Mack – like Miller – already had one stint at Xavier, racking up over 200 wins and leaving as arguably the most accomplished coach in the history of the program. After a disastrous stop at Louisville and a couple of years out of the game, he landed at Charleston and began rebuilding his coaching career. It seemed like the interest in his return to Xavier was present from both sides.
Apparently all the smoke around that possibility never burst fully into fire. With a tweet, he quenched the rumors that he was going to return to the program at which he cut his teeth. While I wasn’t willing to lock my grandma in a cage or abuse hard drugs, I was among those who had hoped that Mack would be announced as Xavier’s head coach very soon.
Those searching for a sour grapes approach will point out that Mack’s success came in the pre-NIL landscape and that there have been questions regarding whether or not he still has the drive required to compete at the very highest level in college ball. They’ll point to the fact that he left once, just like Miller, and might have been enticed to do so again. On the other side, it doesn’t take much imagination to remember Mack’s tenure as the halcyon days of a generation of Xavier basketball and hold hope that his return would have driven X to that level of success again.
Whatever might have been, it won’t be. The search for Xavier’s next head coach continues.