Following a disappointing 6-7 season, the first dominos within UNC head coach Mack Brown’s coaching staff have fallen. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman will not return to the team next season, as first reported by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic.

Under Bateman, the Carolina defense struggled mightily in 2021, allowing opponents to score 32.1 points per game, which ranked 105th out of 130 teams in FBS college football. The rushing defense allowed 180 yards per game on the ground, which ranked 97th. Its struggles were never more apparent than in a humbling defeat in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to South Carolina in December. The Gamecocks, playing with a converted wide receiver at quarterback, rushed for more than 300 yards on the Tar Heels in a 38-21 beatdown.

The Tar Heels allowed 30 or more points nine times in 13 games this season. Two of the four times they didn’t came against Georgia State and Wofford. The poorest stretch came between October 16 and November 6, when UNC gave up 42, 44 and 55 points to Miami, Notre Dame and Wake Forest, respectively. Ironically, the Tar Heels went 2-1 over that three-game stretch.

At the time of his hiring by UNC in December 2018, Bateman was the defensive coordinator at Army, where his unit ranked in the nation’s top 10. His defense at Carolina showed marginal improvement during his first two years, even ranking fifth in the country with 36 sacks in 2020. But the unit took a major step back in 2021, necessitating a change in leadership.

Bateman’s departure was followed almost immediately by the exit of special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach Jovan Dewitt. 2021 was Dewitt’s second season with the Tar Heels.

“We appreciate everything Coach Bateman, Coach Dewitt, and their families did for the program,” the UNC football program said in a statement. “And we wish them nothing but success as they transition to their next opportunities.”

Bateman and Dewitt leave Carolina’s defensive coaching staff with just three holdovers, though that number could certainly change. Tommy Thigpen is co-defensive coordinator and also coaches inside linebackers, while Dre Bly coaches cornerbacks and Tim Cross coaches the defensive line.

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