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Friedlander: Mack Brown is still the coach at UNC. But how much longer will he continue?

Brett Friedlander

By Brett Friedlander

Published:

Mack Brown was so angry and frustrated with North Carolina’s performance against James Madison on Saturday that he felt like giving up.

In that respect, he was no different from most of the 50,500 fans who started the day in the stands at Kenan Stadium. Only a few of whom were still around at the end to boo the Tar Heels off the field following their 70-50 beatdown at the hands of the Dukes.

The difference, of course, is that fans have the option of throwing their hands in the air and shouting “I quit.”

Coaches do not.

At least, not coaches who plan on sticking around at least long enough to prepare the team for its next game.

Whether Brown actually told his players in the locker room that he was walking away depends on whose unnamed sources you believe. Even if he did, it was likely only a heat-of-the-moment reaction from a coach notorious for taking losses hard.

Amplified by a comedy of errors that resulted in a loss he described as “embarrassing” and “unacceptable.” And a single-game school record for the most points allowed.

Brown clarified the situation at his regularly scheduled weekly press conference on Monday by saying his locker room comments were misinterpreted, adding that “I need to keep my mouth shut after games” and that “Even at 73, you can learn from some hard lessons.”

Regardless of what he said or meant, it became a moot point Sunday when he jogged onto the practice field with his team to begin the process of repairing the damage from what was clearly the low point of his 2nd tenure in Chapel Hill.

Every indication is that he’ll still be the Tar Heels’ coach when they attempt to retain possession of the Victory Bell in their ACC opener at rival Duke on Saturday. Brown is 5-0 against the Blue Devils in his 2nd stint, 13-2 overall as UNC’s coach. He hasn’t lost to Duke since Steve Spurrier famously posed for the team picture following a 41-0 victory at UNC in 1989.

How much longer Brown continues in that capacity is anybody’s guess.

Speculation about Brown’s longevity is nothing new. It comes with the territory when you’re 73 years old. The whispers have just been transformed into a deafening buzz now that Brown himself might have finally spoken what was previously unspoken.

It’s always been a matter of when, rather than if he would call it a career. After Saturday’s postgame drama it’s clear that the when is coming sooner than later.

Brown doesn’t need any of this.

He won a national championship ring from his days at Texas and has enough money to live comfortably on the beach or golf course of his choice. He’s already in the College Football Hall of Fame. And he’s already accomplished what he set out to do by returning for a 2nd act at UNC by cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor Larry Fedora and returning the Tar Heels to prominence.

He had the perfect opportunity to declare victory and triumphantly walk out the door side-by-side with star quarterback Drake Maye after last season. But like Hall of Fame basketball coach Jim Boeheim, who could have done the same when his sons graduated from Syracuse, he decided to stay around a year too long.

Brown has continued to coach long past the expiration date of others of his generation because he loves UNC, he loves being around and teaching young people and he loves the competition. His passion was on full display last year in the aggressiveness with which he fought the NCAA to restore the eligibility of wide receiver Tez Walker.

That spark, however, appears to be flickering. And not just because of what happened against JMU.

Brown’s frustration has been building over time. It began with 2 straight November flameouts that derailed potentially special seasons and intensified with the continued struggles of his defense and the subsequent dismissal of long-time friend and assistant Gene Chizik.

He’s already gone through 3 starting quarterbacks this season and is saddled with a flawed team that was eventually going to be exposed despite a promising 3-0 start.

The Dukes just happened to be the team that peeled back the onion.

In a big way.

Brown’s Tar Heels share equal responsibility for their own demise. Their defense allowed a Group of 5 opponent to amass 611 total yards, including 4 pass plays of 40 or more yards and 3 runs of at least 20. Their offense committed 5 turnovers, including an interception that was run back for a touchdown while their special teams allowed JMU recover an onside kick and had a punt blocked for a score.

Everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong. And it caused Brown’s frustration to boil over.

So now what?

It’s entirely possible that Saturday’s postgame meltdown helped Brown get it all out of his system and become a motivational tool that helps turn a still-young season back in the right direction.

With 3 wins already in the bank and an ACC schedule that doesn’t include any of the league’s 3 clear-cut frontrunners – Miami, Clemson or Louisville – bowl eligibility and a winning record are still very much on the table.

At the same time, there’s just as much a possibility that Brown has finally had enough.

If things continue to go sideways and he decides that it really is time to walk away, it’s presumed that assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Lonnie Galloway would finish out the season on an interim basis. Galloway has been a member of Brown’s staff since he returned to UNC in December 2018.

Even if the Hall of Fame coach does stick it out and finish what he started, athletic director Bubba Cunningham would be wise to start compiling a list of potential replacements. Because no matter what Brown said behind those closed doors on Saturday, the signals he put out are unmistakable.

The end is coming. Sooner, not later.

 

Brett Friedlander

Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.

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