CBS Sports college basketball writers Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander surveyed more than 100 coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled everyone from head coaches at elite programs to assistants at some of the smallest Division I schools. In exchange for complete anonymity, the coaches provided unfiltered honesty about a number of topics in the sport. Over a span of two weeks, we're posting the results on the 10 questions we asked them.

Is a high-profile college basketball coach going to be arrested by the FBI?

That question has permeated throughout the sport since Sept. 26, 2017, when the story broke that the Department of Justice had been covertly investigating corrupt recruiting behavior in college hoops over the prior two years. Of the 10 men who were charged on that day, four of them were assistant coaches at noteworthy programs. Since then, no one else has been charged by the DOJ, though a superseding indictment came down in April that implicated more programs and returned conversation to a sizzle in many corners of college basketball.

And we now know that Kansas, Maryland and NC State have all been subpoenaed by the FBI. A lot of programs have been officially attached to this story, but we're still at just four assistants who are facing trial.

This has so many in the sport continuously wondering what will come next. So we had to ask the coaches whether they think the worst is over, or if another huge headline is coming eventually -- in the form of more coaches winding up in handcuffs.

Do you believe the FBI will charge another coach in its case on college basketball?

CBS Sports / Mike Meredith

No 63 percent Yes 37 percent

Quotes that stood out

Those who said no ...

"I hope so, but probably not. Whatever happened to the rule that head coaches are in charge of what happens in their program ... and only one guy got fired? A few guys got extension or raises."

"I hope not."



"To be honest, I hope so, but I don't know."



"I think what you see is what you'll get. I believe that some of it is the time that's passed since [the initial charges], but a lot of schools were made to go through this general counsel kind of deal, and I think if anything would have come about, it would have already have happened. Kansas and Maryland were always going to be implicated in some form or another because of the ties to certain kids."

"I do not [believe] another coach will be charged. I do believe they have some info on a blue blood program or two. But those programs are untouchable."

"They won't charge the coaches they should charge."

"Everything I've heard is that the FBI just wants to be done with this now. I'll be surprised if another coach is charged. I think they're ready to move on."

"Unless something is in the subpoenas of the two schools that have been added to the investigation (Kansas and Maryland) that we don't know about, I would say no."

"The fact that assistant coaches were indicted by the federal government and these head coaches walk away unscathed is an embarrassment to the NCAA."



Those who said yes ...

"I think bigger names will still get pinched. I don't think the feds will do what they've currently done just to get four assistant coaches. And you've gotta think most of these guys are good civilians. They're not gangsters, so some of these guys are rolling over as we speak."

"Yes. This may sound cold, but I hope they charge anyone they find out to be cheating. It's not fair to those of us that don't. The cheaters that win have cost others their jobs that don't cheat."

"I have to feel like there's a least one more because it's hard to believe it's just four guys. I would have to believe it's somebody else, because you're talking about a lot of coaches, a lot of colleges. The FBI got stymied. Either they found so much stuff that they've gotta throw this out -- or college basketball's going to be over. Maybe they're thinking that. 'We made an example, let's shut it down.' Or, they're going to be thinking, 'Let's keep digging and find as many people as we can'. But I would imagine it's more people."

"They certainly could if they wanted to. I think the whole Rice Commission has slowed things down, but there are still several schools still under federal subpoena."

"Yeah, eventually [another coach will be charged]. They supposedly have all these documents and tapped phone calls. I can't imagine only four assistants will go down. There has to be a bigger fish."

"I have a feeling there could be more charged. More stuff keeps coming out. I don't know the legalese all that well, but feels like more is going to come down the road [with charges]. If they keep digging, they're going to find somebody."

"In my eyes we are just scratching the surface on what will be released."

"Yes, but it would require new evidence. If there was any evidence out there, it should give people some confidence that, 'All right, I'm still here.'"

The takeaway

Is it hopeful optimism, wisdom of the crowd or an accurate barometer reading on the Department of Justice?

Had we asked this question in the middle of January, I believe the voting outcome would be much closer to 50-50.

But we are publishing this poll question almost exactly 10 months to the day since last year's unprecedented turn of events came to light. With more than 300 days worth of separation between then and now, nearly two-thirds of college coaches think the FBI has nothing more to bring in this case. In speaking with so many coaches about this on the road in July, and in conversations in the weeks after, there's a strong sense (among those who think we're well past the stage of arresting anyone else) that the FBI would have come out with more by now if it had sufficient evidence to do so.

In other words, if another coach could be charged, it would have happened in the 10 months since the news broke.

Thousands of hours of wiretapped phone calls, and even more tape with cooperating witnesses obtaining potentially incriminating evidence with in-person meetings against some of the men wrapped up in this scheme.

In April, the superseding indictment that looped in Kansas and Maryland.

Yet: no more charges.

Maybe this is why more college coaches than not think that the FBI hasn't scared coaches out of cheating to get players or otherwise break the rules to help their programs. Another speculative point from coaches: When the Sean Miller/Deandre Ayton allegations came out in late February, due to a report by ESPN that Miller and Ayton vehemently denied, there wasn't any tangible movement (at least publicly) by the FBI on that one way or the other in the days and weeks that followed.

But as our poll indicates, there are still plenty of coaches who think more will come out. Those coaches believe that cheating by college coaches or through third-party associates was rampant enough that the FBI has to pinch at least one more in the profession. Otherwise, what was the point of all that pomp last September? And as the quotes above show, there are some coaches rooting for a few of their peers to be detained.

It's a fascinating dynamic. A lot of coaches have their suspicions -- but of course no one is going to publicly say anything.

Whether or not the FBI is finished with charging college coaches, know this; The next stage of news guaranteed to come in this case will be in early October. Former Adidas executive James Gatto, former Adidas consultant Merl Code Jr. and former agent associate Christian Dawkins are all scheduled to go to trial beginning Oct. 1.

CBS Sports' Candid Coaches series for college basketball

CBS Sports' Candid Coaches series for college football