"I’m not sure what I’m going to do": Coach Mack Brown reflects on his future following dismissal from North Carolina

Mack Brown served as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels from 2019 to 2024. During that time, he had moderate success but was fired before the end of the 2024 season. He was subsequently replaced by legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick, who signed a five-year, $50 million contract with the Tar Heels.

Brown has been without a job for a few months now and does not know what his next step is going to be. At 73 years old, it would not be surprising to see him retire. However, in an interview with AP News, Brown spoke about being unsure about what he is going to do next. He spoke about how he would move back and forth between Austin and North Carolina before getting fired.

"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."

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Mack Brown speaks about the circumstances around his departure from UNC

Shortly after his firing, Mack Brown was replaced by Bill Belichick as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. It was a sudden but not surprising decision.

"I think the frustration was it was probably more political than anything else," Brown said (per ESPN). "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."

Mack Brown was fired following the last game of the Tar Heels' regular season. The team lost 35-30 to NC State and finished the regular season with a 6-6 record. The team qualified for a bowl game, but Brown did not have the opportunity to coach it. The Tar Heels would go on to lose 27-14 in their bowl game to the UConn Huskies.

Mack Brown also spoke briefly about how he feels about Bill Belichick taking over for him.

"I’m proud of them that they finally committed. And Bill’s one of the best ever. 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."

It will be interesting to see if Brown takes a broadcasting job, as he says he might next season.