According to reports from Inside Carolina and On3 Sports, UNC is hiring Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino as its next offensive coordinator. Petrino will replace Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after his lone season calling plays in 2025.
The UNC offense fizzled more than it popped under Kitchens’ leadership. The Tar Heels were one of just two teams in the ACC to average fewer than 20 points per game (Stanford was the other) and ranked last in offensive yardage. UNC was the only ACC team to average fewer than 300 yards of offense per game. In addition, Carolina never scored more than 27 points against an FBS opponent all season.
Though Arkansas struggled mightily in 2025 and was 0-7 with Petrino as interim coach after the midseason firing of head coach Sam Pittman, it was not the fault of the offense. The Razorbacks ranked 18th in the FBS in total offense with more than 450 total yards per game. By contrast, UNC ranked 129th out of 134 teams with 289 yards of offense per game. The Razorbacks scored at least 30 points eight times in 12 games, though they went 2-6 in those games.
Petrino, 64, has held jobs in both the NFL and college football. After serving on the staff of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Auburn between 1999 and 2002, Petrino rose to prominence as head coach at Louisville in 2003. Petrino’s Cardinals won at least nine games in each of his four seasons in charge, including an 11-win season in 2004 and a 12-win season in 2006 which ended with a win in the Orange Bowl. Louisville rewarded Petrino with a 10-year contract extension and a salary bump in the summer of 2006, but he left the program less than six months later to accept the head coaching position with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
Petrino’s time in Atlanta was less successful. With the Falcons still reeling from the suspension of star quarterback Michael Vick, they lost 10 of their first 13 games in 2007. In a move that generated heavy criticism, Petrino then resigned from the Falcons after personally assuring team owner Arthur Blank he would stay on. In lieu of informing the players face-to-face, Petrino instead left a brief note in each player’s locker.
Petrino then joined the University of Arkansas as its head coach. He eventually led the Razorbacks to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2010 and 2011, the latter of which ended with a Cotton Bowl win and a Top 5 ranking. But once again, Petrino couldn’t escape controversy. In April of 2012, Petrino was involved in a motorcycle accident in Arkansas while riding with a former Razorback volleyball player who Petrino had hired onto his staff. Later, Petrino would admit to having an improper relationship with the staffer. He was placed on administrative leave and then fired days later.
Since his tenure at Arkansas, Petrino has held the head coaching position at Western Kentucky, Louisville for a second time and Missouri State. In his second stint with the Cardinals, Petrino coached Heisman-winning quarterback and future NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, though the pair never won more than nine games together. Petrino was fired after a 2-8 start to the 2018 season.
Petrino’s most recent stop saw him back at Arkansas, where he served as offensive coordinator in 2024 and later interim head coach in 2025. With the Razorbacks hiring a new head coach during the offseason, Petrino was not retained on staff. Should his hire at UNC be finalized, he will take charge of a Tar Heel offense which is set to lose multiple players to the transfer portal. The portal opens Jan. 2 and several Tar Heels have already announced their intentions to leave. Read the full list of outgoing players here.
Featured image via Associated Press/Michael Woods
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