After over two decades away, legendary head coach Mack Brown is returning to Chapel Hill.
The university officially signed Brown to a five-year contract today, bringing an end to the short turnaround which saw North Carolina fire Larry Fedora following the Tar Heels’ loss to NC State over the weekend.
Brown, who coached at UNC from 1988 to 1997, was instrumental in the Tar Heels’ early success on the football field. He led Carolina to three 10-win seasons, six consecutive bowl games and two AP top-10 finishes. After leaving Carolina, Brown coached the University of Texas to a BCS National Championship in 2005 and two conference titles.
“Mack Brown has a proven record of building great teams, and he doesn’t just develop football players – he also develops people of strong character,” says Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham in a release. “He knows how to win championships, and he expects his student-athletes to win in the classroom and community, as well. We are excited about his plans for our football program, and I am thrilled to welcome Coach Brown and wife Sally back to Chapel Hill.”
Brown arrived in Chapel Hill after two head coaching stints with Appalachian State and Tulane. He has an overall record of 244-122-1 in 30 seasons as a head coach, which stands 10th all the all-time wins list.
The Cookeville, Tennessee native has coached 37 first-team All-Americans, 110 first-team all-conference players, 11 conference players of the year, and two College Football Hall of Famers in Dré Bly at UNC and Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams at Texas.
“Sally and I love North Carolina, we love this University and we are thrilled to be back,’’ Brown said. “The best part of coaching is the players – building relationships, building confidence, and ultimately seeing them build success on and off the field. We can’t to wait to meet our current student-athletes and reconnect with friends, alumni and fellow Tar Heel coaches. We thank UNC’s Board of Trustees, Chancellor Folt and Bubba Cunningham for supporting our return to the Carolina family.”
Brown’s hiring comes at a turbulent time for Carolina football. Over the past two seasons, the Tar Heels’ have finished 5-18 with its only Power 5 wins coming against Pittsburgh over that stretch. This is a stark comparison to the heights that Carolina reached in 2015, when the Tar Heels’ went 11-3 and reached the ACC Championship Game.
Of course, the problem has not been due to a lack of talent on the roster. The Tar Heels have seen nine players selected in the NFL draft over the past two years, including No. 2 overall pick and current Chicago Bears starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Brown enters a situation in Chapel Hill where he has young talent on the roster to build around. North Carolina finished with the No. 20 recruiting class in the country in 2018, per the 247Sports Composite, and have emerging stars like offensive lineman William Barnes, wide receiver Dyami Brown and quarterback Cade Fortin.
Brown’s five-year deal will earn him $750,000 per year as a base salary, but his contract will also include $2 million via supplemental compensation, $200,000 from Nike, $500,000 from Learfield and $50,000 for expenses per year. All in all, Brown will make roughly $3.5 million per year as UNC’s head football coach.
Featured image via Associated Press
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