Former Tar Heel and current NFL coach floated as a possible Mack Brown replacement

A former UNC football player is amongst the top candidates to replace Mack Brown as head coach…

The 2025 college football season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina is going to look extremely different.

On Tuesday, Nov. 26, UNC announced that it was firing head football coach Mack Brown. Mack will still coach the Tar Heels against NC State and possibly the bowl game, but he won’t return for 2025.

Mack led the Tar Heels back to bowl eligibility with a victory against Wake Forest, giving fans and the North Carolina athletic department some hope for his future, but an embarrassing loss at Boston College changed the tone once again.

With Mack soon-to-be gone, a national coaching search is underway. A possible replacement for Mack – one that would make perfect sense, if you ask me – is Arthur Smith, the former Tar Heel and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator.

Smith played at UNC from 2001-2005 under John Bunting, but dealt with a foot issue that forced him to miss all of 2002 and 2003. Upon graduating, Smith was a graduate assistant for North Carolina in 2006.

You might better recognize Smith’s name from his NFL coaching gigs. He was the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach from 2021-2023 – and had former North Carolina standout Mack Hollins on his roster in 2023. Before that, Smith spent 10 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, most notably when he coached an electric offense – led by NFL star Derrick Henry – to the 2020 AFC Championship.

While I think the Tar Heels should look outside former player/coach connections for their next head coach, I also think Smith would be a tremendous hire. He’s young (42 years old), knows how to win and is passionate on the sidelines.

Who will UNC tab for its next head coach? Make sure to follow along with our Coaching Big Board.

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