Tuesday was a day long overdue for the UNC football program, as it fired head coach Mack Brown after a tumultuous season.
Here’s the catch, though: Brown will coach North Carolina on Saturday against NC State. The Tar Heels are still TBD on whether Brown coaches the bowl game, but we know he won’t be returning for 2025.
Brown’s firing has a long domino effect, starting with recruits de-committing. It also forces UNC back to the head-coaching drawing board for the first time since 2018, when it fired Larry Fedora after five total wins in two seasons.
The exciting part about Brown’s firing, though, is guessing who North Carolina’s next head coach will be.
According to WRAL Sports Reporter Pat Welter, the Tar Heels have already made their decision on their next head coach – and it could be announced as early as Sunday, the day after playing NC State in the regular-season finale.
A source told me they believe the decision has already been made on who the next football coach at #UNC will be and it could be announced as soon as Sunday.
— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) November 26, 2024
We have our own Coaching Big Board up on possible candidates for UNC’s next head coach, but that only includes a handful.
Other names already linked to the North Carolina gig include former player Arthur Smith, the Pittsburgh Steelers’s offensive coordinator, who previously coached the Atlanta Falcons from 2021-2023.
The Tar Heels could also roll with Freddie Kitchens, their current tight ends coach. Kitchens is a top choice to promote from within, as he turned the likes of Bryson Nesbit, John Copenhaver and former UNC tight-end Kamari Morales into top-level talent.
If Welter’s statement above proves true, I wonder who North Carolina already decided on. I’m sure the Tar Heels have already been in contact with several candidates.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.