After the sudden departure of former tight ends coach Tim Brewster–who took the same job at Florida last week, UNC announced Wednesday that it has hired John Lilly to the same position.

Lilly spent 2019 coaching tight ends for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL. Prior to that stint in Cleveland, he was an assistant to the head coach at Tennessee and had a one-year stint as the tight ends coach for the Los Angeles Rams.

Before coming to Los Angeles, Lilly spent 2008-15 in the same job at the University of Georgia and 13 seasons in various roles at Florida State.

With Lilly as the recruiting coordinator, Florida State won the national championship in 1999.

His arrival will help fill a major void left by Brewster, who was one of the top recruiters on the current UNC staff led by head coach Mack Brown.

“We’re thrilled to add a coach with the quality, experience and recruiting acumen that John Lilly possesses,” Brown said. “John has recruited and coached some great players during his career and has seen a lot of success throughout his 27 years. In addition to his college experience, he was able to hone his skills in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams and the Browns, and we know that will really pay off for our tight ends and the offense as a whole.”

 

Photo via Associated Press

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