One of the winningest head coaches in all of college football will soon be out of a job.
As reported Tuesday morning, North Carolina has decided to part ways with Mack Brown. The Tar Heels are currently 6-5 in what’s been a rather disappointing season. Brown will coach the team in the finale versus North Carolina State before departing.
Truth be told, Brown’s six-year tenure in Chapel Hill wasn’t awful. He led the team to five straight bowl games, and he has accrued a record of 44-32. On the flip side, the Tar Heels have a 1-4 record in those bowl games. UNC never won more than nine games in a single season despite playing in a week ACC — not to mention having last year’s No. 3 Overall pick Drake Maye at quarterback.
Brown previously coached at North Carolina before leaving for the Texas job. He had been retired before being coaxed into coming back and leading the program once more.
He released the following in a statement:
“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time. I’ve spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and will always cherish the memories and relationships Sally and I have built while serving as head coach. We’ve had the chance to coach and mentor some great young men, and we’ll miss having the opportunity to do that in the future. Moving forward, my total focus is on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game against N.C. State and give them the best chance to win. We want to send these seniors out right and I hope our fans will show up Saturday to do the same.”
With Brown’s departure imminent, the speculation as to who North Carolina could target as its next head coach has already been swirling. Early names rumored to be attached to the job include Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, and Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall.
