Mack Brown's desire to stay at North Carolina makes absolutely zero sense
North Carolina head coach Mack Brown has had a tumultuous season at the helm of the Tar Heels program, but the coach told reporters he plans to return next season, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN.
Brown bristled when asked about his future at his Monday press conference.
"You never talk to your athletic director until the year's over," Brown said, "Everybody always does that. My total focus is on NC State. What an awful thing to be talking about me when we just played a bad game and need to beat State." When he was asked about whether he planned to return next season, he said "yes."
Brown's desire to come back is at least somewhat surprising, given how the season has gone for the Tar Heels, and it might be time for the venerable coach to hang it up once and for all.
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It looked like it might happen earlier in the season, after North Carolina was on the receiving end of a 70-50 thumping at the hands of James Madison. Brown told his players the loss was his fault, and that if they didn't think he could fix the program's issues, he'd step down. The players rallied around Brown, and the coach said he'd not actually planned to retire, but it underscored a truly bizarre season in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina have not reached the heights they'd hoped to achieve with Brown back at the helm for the second time. The team has sat squarely between six and nine wins every year during Brown's tenure, but was plagued by recurring defensive issues year in and year out. This year has been a colossal letdown for the Tar Heels; after opening 3-0, they were blown out by James Madison and proceded to lose four straight games, allowing 30 or more points in three of those four games.
Wins over plucky Virginia and woebegone Florida State, and lackluster Wake Forest helped North Carolina get bowl eligible, but they followed that by getting ripped to shreds in a 41-21 demolition by Boston College.
This seems to be a program utterly bereft of momentum and buzz right now. The offense can put up points, but Brown seems unable or unwilling to fix a defense that could charitably be described as a non-factor.
But the biggest indictment of keeping Brown might be the recruiting. Despite sitting in the heart of the fertile Carolina recruiting grounds, the Tar Heels sit 78th in 247's 2025 composite rankings, amongst the likes of San Diego State, Purdue, and Northern Illinois. That's not where you want to be, and it's not exactly a good sign for a program that was recruiting pulling in top 15 recruiting classes as recently as 2022.
If you're Brown, do you really want to run it back again? It was clear the 73-year-old was not enjoying this season, and he's facing an uphill battle to get the Tar Heels back to national relevance once again after a disastrous season. There's been no sign of improvement in the last two or three years, no tangible hope for the fans or the coach that they're on the cusp of turning a corner. Why continute to tarnish your legacy by sitting in the middle of the ACC, losing to James Madison?
Brown may want to come back to Chapel Hill next year, but if the Tar Heels are smart, they'll show the legendary coach the door to try and get this program back on track.
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