UNC Football program hires new offensive line coach

The UNC football program has found a new offensive line coach, as Randy Clements will be joining the staff to replace Jack Bicknell.

When Phil Longo left the UNC football program to take the same position at Wisconsin, the Tar Heels’ former offensive coordinator didn’t go alone.

Instead, Longo took offensive line coach Jack Bicknell with him, leaving North Carolina with two coaching positions to fill.

After conducting a search, the Tar Heels have found a new offensive line coach.

Randy Clements will join the staff, as he’ll be responsible for the team’s offensive line. Clements comes to Chapel Hill with a rather impressive resume, one that features his 20 years of work mentoring this position group at the college level.

From 2010-2020, Clements was part of nine offenses that ranked among the top 13 programs in the country at Baylor, a run that included three straight No. 1 overall offensive units from 2013-2015.

After leaving Baylor, Clements made stops at Southeastern University, Houston, Florida State, Ole Miss, and most recently North Texas. During the 2022 season, Clements’ offensive line helped lead one of the most explosive offenses in the entire country.

The Mean Green averaged 201.7 rushing yards per game, which ranked 24th overall in the nation. Their offensive line ranked ninth nationally in both sacks (just 11 total) and tackles-for-loss per game allowed (four). With their strong presence up front, North Texas averaged 33.9 points and 453.8 yards per contest.

In an official statement, head coach Mack Brown had some great things to say about his new offensive line coach:

"“We’re excited that Randy, his wife Polly, and their sons Jordan and Jayson are a part of the Carolina football family. Randy is a tough, hard-nosed offensive line coach that has a tremendous amount of experience working in systems similar to our offense. He’s helped produce explosive offenses everywhere he’s been, while showing a knack for protecting the quarterback and limiting negative plays. Randy has shown an aptitude for identifying and developing offensive linemen and his attention to detail shows in his linemen’s ability to play with great technique. The teams he’s been a part of have consistently run the ball effectively, and everyone we talked to thought very highly of him as a coach and leader of young men. I believe Randy is the perfect fit for our offensive system moving forward and we can’t wait for him to get to Chapel Hill and get to work.”"

Based on his resume, the addition of Randy Clements seems to be a good one for the UNC football program. The Tar Heels’ offensive line has had some struggles over the past few seasons and could benefit from having one of the best offensive line coaches in the country coming in to help improve the unit moving forward.

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