The Mack Brown 2.0 era for the UNC football program has officially come to a close.
While Brown has stated that he had every intention of coaching the Tar Heels in 2025, Bubba Cunningham and the university had other plans, as they believed now is the time for the program to head in a different direction.
Following the loss to NC State in Brown's final game, the legendary head coach spoke to the media for the last time in this role. Based on his comments, Brown seems to be ready to get out.
#UNC coach Mack Brown here in the postgame. “I think it's a great time for me to get out. This isn't the game that I signed up for. It has changed so much since I've been here in six years."
— Evan Rogers (@evanr0gers) December 1, 2024
“I think it's a great time for me to get out. This isn't the game that I signed up for. It has changed so much since I've been here in six years."
While the world of NIL and the transfer portal have drastically changed things in college athletics, Brown does have a point. It isn't the same game as when he took over the role (or at any point during his 40+ years of coaching).
Sure, Brown still has the fire to coach and most certainly would've returned if given the opportunity, but it does appear that he is seeing a big how the times have changed and how it's best for the UNC football program to go in a different direction.
It's simply unfortunate that Brown's final game at Kenan Stadium resulted in a loss and a postgame brawl.