UNC Football: Phil Longo leaves program to become Wisconsin’s OC

UNC football offensive coordinator Phil Longo will leave the program for the Big 10. He will become Wisconsin’s new offensive coordinator.

The UNC football program has lost yet another member in what has been a rough few weeks.

This time, it’s not a player.

Offensive coordinator Phil Longo is leaving the program to join Wisconsin, where he will take over the same position. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic was the first one to report this breaking news.

Wisconsin recently hired Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell as their new head coach. As Feldman mentioned in his tweet, Longo reportedly has a strong relationship with Fickell. In a time when UNC’s program seems to be at a standstill, the move makes sense for the offensive coordinator.

Longo, who faced his fair share of criticism at times, still led some of the country’s best offenses over the past few seasons, including in 2022. That wasn’t without talent though, as Longo was able to have several elite, talented playmakers with North Carolina. Often times, his biggest criticism was the inconsistent playmaking, particularly in the red zone.

The move comes as a bit out of nowhere, as he’s been UNC’s OC since 2018. After the team started the season 9-1, they’re now on a three-game losing skid heading into the Holiday Bowl against Oregon. The offense, including star quarterback Drake Maye, has faltered as of late.

It’s unclear whether or not Longo will stick around for the bowl game, although that seems unlikely with the news coming now. It’ll be quite interesting to see how he does in a more old-school offense in Wisconsin, or perhaps he will bring his own philosophy to the Big 10.

As for UNC football’s next move, they will need to find a young, appealing offensive-minded coach that can help still attract guys to Chapel Hill. With all of the recent players entering the transfer portal, this isn’t particularly the best news. Hopefully, this won’t play a role in Maye thinking about leaving for a bigger school.