5 Mack Brown replacement North Carolina has to save the Tar Heels

Things have taken a turn for the worse. After a somewhat impressive 3-0 start to the season, the North Carolina Tar Heels are 3-2 overall with back-to-back tough losses to James Madison and current rival Duke. JMU scored 70 points at the Tar Heels two weeks ago. Duke, 5-0 under new head coach Manny Diaz, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a thrilling win in Week 5.

Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, Crystal Pepsi realizes something. Bubba Cunningham needs to hire a new head coach for next season. He should allow Mack Brown to step down as coach for the rest of the season and retire gracefully. He is a College Football Hall of Famer due to his previous tenure at UNC before becoming a national championship-winning head coach at Texas.

So today I’m going to look at five prospects from across college football who I think could be suitable long-term replacements for Brown at UNC. You have to keep in mind that while North Carolina is a flagship university in its state, the ACC is not the most coveted conference. We particularly expect coordinators and head coaches from the Group of Five to make the leap to the top.

Let’s start with an offensive prodigy whose stock has taken a slight dip in the first few weeks.

At the start of the season, I had Oregon Ducks offensive coordinator Will Stein as a lock to get a Power Four job he could call his own. He may be a colleague of mine, but he has paid his dues and could be ready for the big opportunity that lies ahead. My biggest concern now is that Oregon may not be as good offensively as advertised with Dillon Gabriel as the starter. Bo Nix was the straw that stirred the drink.

The gig I originally had Stein looking for this offseason was with the Virginia Cavaliers. It could still open up because I don’t trust Tony Elliott and neither should you. Since he’s not taking over his alma mater because Jeff Brohm has the chops at Louisville, Stein could be eyeing a return to the ACC to lead his first collegiate team, regardless of Saturday’s Notre Dame loss.

Given the amount of talent in the state and surrounding regions, I feel like Stein could immediately build and maintain a strong offense in Chapel Hill. My other concern I have for him concerns the play of Oregon’s offense lately, as he may have to take a job in the Group of Five first before getting his own team. I don’t think that’s the case. UNC might be available, but it feels like a challenge for him.

Stein could have great success at the helm of North Carolina, but he brings so much unknown with him.

Despite playing in the Mountain West, UNLV is not quite as quiet at 4-0 this season. While the Rebels were in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week because of Matthew Sluka’s decision to redshirt, they still beat Fresno State in conference play. That’s because Barry Odom is proving to be a top-notch head coach in his second attempt. He grew after he went to Arkansas. He is ready now.

Odom may never fully overcome the failure at his alma mater, Missouri, but his mentor and predecessor Gary Pinkel didn’t leave the Tigers in the best of situations. He reinvented himself as Sam Pittman’s star defensive coordinator at Arkansas before taking the reins at UNLV last year. The Rebels are typically one of the worst teams in the Group of Five. Now they could even try it with their league.

Since Odom has coached in many places, I think he’s a better fit in the ACC at a place like North Carolina than you might think. The key will be who he hires as offensive coordinator. Honestly, would it shock you if he brought his entire UNLV staff to UNC? I wouldn’t rule it out. While I think he could be a good fit at North Carolina, the Tar Heels would want an offensive mind.

Odom may leave UNLV after two years, but it remains to be seen what job that might be.

I think we’ve seen enough from Alex Golesh now in his second year at South Florida that he may be ready to lead his own Power Four team. One of the things I like most about him is that, given where he’s worked before and where he’s from, he could work any number of Power Four jobs in any conference. His team may be better defensively, but he is an offensive head coach.

When it comes to South Florida, you have to remember that the Bulls were beyond terrible under his predecessor, Jeff Scott. Golesh wins more games in a season than Scott won during his entire tenure in Tampa. Frankly, South Florida will always be a contender for possible promotion to a bigger league, even though USF is one of four big-name teams that have joined the AAC.

Golesh gives the impression of being the right type of head coach who could potentially move from the Group of Five in South Florida to a job in the Power Four like North Carolina in the ACC. The adjustment period may not be too long. He needs the right quarterback to play for him, but since USF has looked good defensively at times over the last two years, I think he’s ready for it.

It will be a matter of finding the right landing spot for Golesh, as he could be available for multiple jobs in 2025.

Until recently, my best choice to potentially replace Mack Brown as the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels was Liberty Flames head coach Jamey Chadwell. He has won everywhere he has been before, especially now at Liberty and before that at Coastal Carolina. Chadwell runs a very interesting ground-centered attack. It may work at UNC, but there’s also this…

The biggest obstacle for Chadwell to getting a Power Four job is the fact that he has no Power Four coaching or playing experience. Thus, it limits where he could possibly go beyond freedom. However, North Carolina is on the short list of jobs where Chadwell could easily move from the Group of Five to the Power Four. It might be the best job he could get.

The other thing working against him is the play of his former Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall after transferring to North Carolina State. Kaidon Salter could eventually usurp McCall as Chadwell’s primary quarterback, but McCall’s struggles in ACC play have been well-documented. This potential setting has many advantages, but I can also feel the disadvantages.

There is another candidate who I think would be absolutely perfect to take over North Carolina.

Andy Kotelnicki may not even have to unpack his bags in State College, as Penn State’s offensive coordinator could get a real chance to lead his own team next season. Kotelnicki turns out to be an insider tip for mentor Lance Leipold. Look at how poorly Kansas played after Kotelnicki left Lawrence for Happy Valley. I think Kotelnicki could be UNC’s secret sauce.

It depends on how well he can put his staff together and how good a delegator he can be. Again, we have no idea how good he will be as a head coach. All we know is that Kotelnicki has mastered the art of being a great offensive coordinator at multiple schools. We’ve also seen two former James Franklin assistants recently become head coaches: Brent Pry and now Manny Diaz.

What North Carolina needs to do is hire a head coach who will set the tone and get his fan base excited about college football. It is clear to those in the know what a Kotelnicki offense is capable of. It may take a few years to fix Chapel Hill’s defense, but a new, fun and exciting offense could provide a breath of fresh air as the Tar Heels develop into a more complete team.

There’s a big difference in this potential hire, but it could be just what North Carolina needs.