Tag: Bubba Cunningham

Mack Brown updates future plans as UNC head coach

How much longer will Mack Brown be coaching the Tar Heels?

There’s no question that Mack Brown returning to Chapel Hill gave the UNC football program a needed boost, particularly after how Larry Fedora’s tenure ended.

Despite Brown leading North Carolina to bowl games in each year since he came back in 2019, Brown’s coaching abilities have repeatedly come into question, particularly this season.

Recently, Brown said he plans to coach past 2024. He also revealed, though, he hasn’t talked with UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham about his future.

“You never talk to your athletic director until the year’s over,” Brown said in his Monday afternoon press conference. “Everybody always does that. My total focus is on NC State. What an awful thing to be talking about me when we just played a bad game and need to beat (NC) State.”

The Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4) ACC are fresh off yet another embarrassing loss, falling 41-21 to Boston College on Saturday in Massachusetts. North Carolina was trailing 41-7 – yes, a 34-point deficit – until freshman running back Davion Gause scored two garbage-time touchdowns.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, the air surrounding Brown was positive once again. He led UNC to its third-straight win, holding off Wake Forest at home by a 31-24 margin, to help UNC clinch bowl eligibility for the sixth-consecutive season.

The Tar Heels started 2024 with three straight wins, then endured four straight losses, including an alarming, 70-50 home defeat against James Madison.

North Carolina started 2022 with a 9-1 record, then 2023 with a 6-0 mark, putting itself in fringe College Football Playoff contention. In each of UNC’s past two seasons, however, late-season collapses had fans questions Mack again.

I really like Mack as a coach, but I can see why fans are frustrated. Mack won a National Championship at Texas, so Tar Heel Nation is expecting a championship-caliber program.

If North Carolina can beat NC State on Saturday, the air surrounding Brown will be positive once again – and that result might influence Cunningham’s decision.

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North Carolina Athletics plans to launch NIL Collective

North Carolina Athletics plans to launch what could be a game-changing recruiting platform for NIL deals.

Over the last few years, the “Name, Image, and Likeness,” otherwise known as NIL, deals have taken the college athletics landscape by storm. Instead of distinguished programs, facilities, coaches, and academics, money has been the main discussion in recruiting ventures.

North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach, Mack Brown, noticed that UNC’s lack of NIL availability was going to lead to the loss of potential recruits and the downsizing of the talent in each program.

This dedication has led to the proposed new “Carolina NIL” which will feature a collective of NIL sponsors managed by Old Well Management. According to CBS17, the collective will “provide a one-stop shop for UNC athletes looking for NIL services.”

UNC Athletic Director had this to say about the collective. “We are committed to providing championship opportunities for our student-athletes, and consolidating and enhancing our NIL services through Carolina NIL is our next step in this new era of college athletics.”

Even head basketball coach Hubert Davis notices the importance of the NIL in present-day college athletics. The basketball program has been one of the most prestigious in the nation for decades, but Davis is still in need of NIL money to lure four or five-star talent to Chapel Hill.

It will take time to see how this collective will lead to better stars on campus, but the ceiling of potential talent has gone up with the proposition of Carolina NIL.

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Bubba Cunningham confirms North Carolina’s potential NIL changes

Bubba Cunningham confirmed that North Carolina will look to join one collective for NIL.

North Carolina is attempting to re-tool their NIL collective, moving it all under one umbrella. The university currently has three collectives but the goal is to move them to one but will not prevent fans from donating to specific sports.

Inside Carolina reported the news earlier this week and it was confirmed by athletics director Bubba Cunningham confirmed in a letter distributed to fans on Thursday.

Here is what Cunningham said in the letter:

“This coming April, the NCAA will vote on whether to allow universities and athletic departments greater involvement in facilitating NIL for student-athletes,” Cunningham and Rams Club executive director John Montgomery said in the letter. “We anticipate that increased involvement will be allowed, and we are working to be ready. In preparation, the three collectives are in discussions to move under one umbrella so that both our Department of Athletics and The Rams Club can collaborate with them more effectively within the rules. This should help streamline communications and the process for those who want to support NIL efforts.”

The three collectives Heels4Life, Secondary Break Club, and NC Hall of Fame currently serve as UNC’s NIL efforts. The goal is to help promote them all under the one umbrella if possible.

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Bubba Cunningham felt it was best to ‘call an end to the season’ for UNC

Bubba Cunningham appeared on a podcast and talked about the UNC basketball program’s decision to skip the NIT.

After falling short of the NCAA Tournament, the UNC basketball program announced it would not participate in the NIT.

The Tar Heels became the first preseason No. 1 team to fail to make the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams.

UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham addressed the decision on the “Carolina Insider” podcast this week.

“I did stay in touch with coach Davis,” Cunningham said. “And then when the decision was made that we weren’t in the tournament, then he and I talked a couple of times … And, ultimately, we think the best thing for us right now is to call an end to the season.”

The Tar Heels were the third team out of the field, making it evident that if one or two of those second-half leads turned into wins, UNC would have likely been in the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, that’s not how games turned out for the Tar Heels. Instead, the program gets a jump-start on figuring out where this roster stands and focusing on next season.

“It is an evolving process. So I don’t want to say we’re gonna have to be patient or it’s gonna be a long run, because no one wants that. And we want to fix it tonight,” Cunningham said. “But it’s going to take a little bit of time to be really thoughtful about how do we best deploy the resources to be successful. And that’s what we all want. We all want to be good. We want to be successful. We want to compete for championships.”

Competing for championships is the standard at UNC. To do that next year or in the near future, there needs to be a lot of self reflection from this season. And from many different parties.

“What do I need to do as the athletic director to help support men’s basketball, women’s basketball, all of our teams? Administratively, there’s a lot of things that we can do to help,” Cunningham added. “What can Hubert do to help the players be more successful? What can the assistant coaches do to help the players be more successful? What can the players do in the offseason that will allow them to be more successful the season?”

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