While it didn’t go down how he wanted, Mack Brown has made peace with his departure from North Carolina in 2024. Living back in Austin, Texas — where he famously led Texas to a national title in 2005 — Brown made the trip north to Fort Worth to accept the Davey O’Brien Legends Award on Monday. Speaking with the Associated Press, Brown reflected on his second tenure with the Tar Heels and the future of the program under Bill Belichick.
“I think the frustration was, it was probably more political than anything else,” Brown told the AP. “They knew I was going to be through at the end of the year, but there were some, a lot of people, that weren’t on the same page. So it didn’t really matter in the end.”
Brown’s final season was strange in many ways. After a 70-50 loss to James Madison, Brown said in the locker room that he would walk away if players thought he was the problem. Later, he said it was just a motivational ploy. In November, Brown’s camp leaked a planned return for 2025. North Carolina instead fired him, leaking the news before the final game against NC State.
Overall, Brown had a successful second tenure with the Tar Heels, posting a 44-33 mark and reaching six-straight bowl games. His 288 career wins rank fifth among FBS equivalent coaches in the AP Poll era.
“At North Carolina at that time, without revenue sharing, there wasn’t enough money, so you couldn’t compete,” Brown said. “We had $4 million and you just couldn’t compete, and that was the frustrating thing. So I thought it was really time for somebody new to come in for the $13 million revenue sharing and kind of get a fresh new start. And I’d had enough.”
North Carolina hired Belichick to replace Brown. It’s the NFL legend’s first ever in college football. Belichick, 72, is only one year younger than Brown.
“I’m proud of them that they finally committed. And Bill’s one of the best ever,” Brown said. “So I’m proud for the kids. I’ve got so many friends there, like I do at Texas. So I’m glad they finally stepped up, and now they should have a chance to compete with the best in the country.”
Since his departure at North Carolina, Brown has been seen sporting University of Texas gear and spending time at Longhorns athletic events. He’s been rumored to receive some kind of official role with the university. According to Brown, he plans to spend summers at his house in the mountains of North Carolina, but will live in Austin the rest of the year.
“We were doing that before and it worked,” Brown said. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I may do some TV, I’ll probably do some podcasts. I enjoyed that. … You can do it from North Carolina just as easy as anywhere.”
