Just one week after Mack Brown announced he had no plans of retiring, North Carolina’s athletic department made the decision for him, announcing that Brown would not be back after the 2024 season.
Now, the North Carolina Tar Heels are in the market for a new head coach, and College Football Network has you covered with potential candidates. Here are five potential replacements for Mack Brown at North Carolina.
Replacement Candidates for Mack Brown at North Carolina
Youth, youth, youth. That’s what the Tar Heels need.
When Mack Brown was hired for his second stint at North Carolina in late 2018, he was supposed to be a bridge coach to improve the Tar Heels enough to let them land a big fish in one of the next few coaching cycles. But Brown overstayed his welcome, and six years later, the Tar Heels are likely in a worse spot than they were when they settled on Brown.
That’s not to say Brown’s tenure was unsuccessful. The Tar Heels won eight games four times in his tenure, but when they hit lows like a blowout loss to the James Madison Dukes this season, it was clear that it was time for Brown to step aside.
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College football’s oldest coach, Brown was what the Tar Heels needed at the time.
Now, the Tar Heels need energy and youth. They’ve also slipped some in recruiting the Tar Heel state, as teams like the Tennessee Volunteers, Virginia Tech Hokies, and South Carolina Gamecocks have found success raiding it. North Carolina would be wise to find a coach who knows the state well and can help lock it down again.
Here are five guys I think would fit at North Carolina.
Zac Alley (Oklahoma Defensive Coordinator)
If you want youth, Zac Alley is your guy.
Formerly the youngest coordinator at the FBS level, he’s now the youngest coordinator at the Power Four level, and if he is hired for a head coaching job this cycle, he’ll be… you guessed it: the youngest head coach at the FBS level.
Alley is a Charlotte native who flew through the coaching ranks with the Clemson Tigers before coaching around the mid-South and then reunited with Brent Venables at the Oklahoma Sooners. That defense is nasty, and while Venables has his fingerprints on it, Alley is the guy who makes it go.
At just 30 years old, he’s the opposite of Mack Brown and would bring an energy recruiting effort that few can match.
Jamey Chadwell (Liberty Head Coach)
Jamey Chadwell is a proven head coach with ties to the Carolinas. He’ll get a Power Four coaching job one day, but he’s turned down opportunities in the past. This one might be the one he finally accepts.
Chadwell runs a unique offensive system and has recruited the state of North Carolina well during his time in South Carolina and Virginia. He brings the offensive firepower and excitement that could reinvigorate a fanbase.
Charles Huff (Marshall Head Coach)
What happens when a school’s administration and head football coach are at odds, but the coach keeps winning?
That’s what’s playing out with the Marshall Thundering Herd. The athletic department is (for some unknown reason) at odds with Charles Huff, and it’s no secret that they want to fire him. However, they can’t do anything right now, as Huff has the Thundering Herd in position to make the Sun Belt Championship Game.
Huff is just 41 and can clinch a Sun Belt East title with a win this week. He has ties to the DMV area that North Carolina likes to recruit and has coached at multiple Power Four stops, all with great success.
Brennan Marion (UNLV Offensive Coordinator)
Brennan Marion is a schematic savant and a strong recruiter who could turn North Carolina into an offensive powerhouse. He’s coached all over the country and teams are trying to emulate aspects of his “Go-Go” offense across the college football landscape.
He’ll be a head coach soon, and he’ll have plenty of suitors, but Mack Brown’s buyout isn’t back-breaking, and the Tar Heels should be able to compete financially with most schools.
If Marion comes to North Carolina, he’d immediately have his pick of a dual-threat transfer quarterback.
Robert Gillespie (Alabama AHC/RBs Coach)
One of the best running backs coaches in the country, Robert Gillespie spent three years with the Tar Heels in the late 2010s. He’s been taking on more responsibility with the Alabama Crimson Tide and was a holdover from Nick Saban’s staff, proof of his coaching ability.
If Gillespie wants to move to a head coaching position, this could be the cycle to pursue it, as there are few high-end coordinators and Group of Five coaches available in this cycle.
Other Potential Candidates at North Carolina
- Chris Weinke (Georgia Tech Offensive Coordinator)
- Dre Bly (Charlotte Defensive Analyst)
- Clayton White (South Carolina Defensive Coordinator)
- Clay Helton (Georgia Southern Head Coach)
- Joker Phillips (NC State WRs Coach)
- Jeff Monken (Army Head Coach)
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