Mack Brown emphasizes importance of mental health among college football athletes

College football is fast-paced and physically demanding, but the mental strain on young athletes can be just as intense, if not more so. Among those who deeply understand this is former UNC coach Mack Brown.

On Wednesday (Apr. 9), Brown appeared on the “More Than The Scoreboard” podcast, discussing college athletes's pressures and the role coaches play in supporting their mental well-being.

“I remember Billy Graham saying that a coach can change more lives in a year than the average person changes in a lifetime,” Brown said.

Mack Brown's sentiment shaped his coaching principles, especially regarding checking in on his players.

“Coaches out there, what you say is very, very powerful to these young people, and you don’t know what they’re dealing with at home. We never do, and you don’t know what they’re dealing with in their lives.

"So even if you get on them, I would never let a young person leave the building or the locker room after a practice, if we had really gotten on him without sitting down with him and making sure he was okay."

Brown talked about the building pressure student-athletes face in college football when they don't get playing time, which hurts their chances of making it to the NFL. Family and agents often add to the stress by questioning their performance and future.

The former coach discussed how a simple conversation can make a lasting difference in an athlete's life.

“So coaches, be really, really careful with what you say, because they’re going to listen,” Mack Brown said. “And you’re very powerful in their life. They trust you because you are the coach, and make sure that you don’t walk away from a kid without knowing that he’s okay. And he’s feeling good, because you might have saved his life when you didn’t even realize.”

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Mack Brown on why his coaching style no longer fits in college football

After Mack Brown was let go from North Carolina and replaced by Bill Belichick, he realized his coaching style no longer worked. On the podcast, he talked about the reason and how NIL has changed college football today.

“How do you coach them like your dad would have done?” Brown said. “I kept trying to do it the same way. We signed 26 high school kids two years ago and didn’t pay a penny. And told them you had to earn it when you got there. And that’s not going to work. You’ve got too many people that want money.”

Mack Brown also explained that when coaches are pressured to win quickly, they now prefer recruiting experienced college football players from the transfer portal instead of developing younger high school players. This is making it harder for high school athletes to get recruited.