Report: Mack Brown Makes Decision On His Future At North Carolina
11/20/2024 05:18 PM
Mack Brown doesn't intend to end his coaching career after the 2024 season.
North Carolina is 6-4 in Brown's sixth season since returning to the program he ran from 1988 to 1997. Speculation has run rampant over the 73-year-old retiring following his 35th season as a head coach, but he's not finished yet.
According to On3's Pete Nakos and Matt Zenitz of 247Sports, Brown is telling recruits he plans on returning next year. He's under contract through the 2027 season.
After five years away from coaching, Brown returned to Chapel Hill in 2019 to coach the Tar Heels. They're 44-31 in his second stint and will make their sixth straight bowl game.
Yet his future became murky when UNC lost four consecutive games earlier this season. The Tar Heels allowed 611 total yards in a 70-50 home loss to James Madison in September.
In a Wednesday radio interview with College Sports on SiriusXM, Brown said he's not spending time mapping out an exit strategy.
"What I did at Texas, I started planning on trying to retire, and it didn't work," Brown said. "I wasn't as good as what I was doing, and I was trying to make sure everybody was OK. So I decided this time that I wouldn't do that. I'm going to work as hard as I can every day of my life to do what I'm supposed to do. And right now, my role is to help these young people."
Brown is focused on ensuring his players are "growing mentally and emotionally" under his watch. When he returned to North Carolina, he also promised his wife that he'd walk away when his heart was no longer into coaching.
"There will be a day I'll wake up and say, 'You know what? Somebody else needs to be doing this. I'm not excited about going recruiting,'" Brown said. "I haven't gotten to that yet."
Brown will look to close the 2024 season strong when North Carolina plays Boston College and NC State.
Related: North Carolina Fans Are Ready For Mack Brown To Retire
