The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill invested nearly $60 million in Bill Belichick and Michael Lombardi, hoping they could take the North Carolina Tar Heels football program to new heights. Less than a year in, it’s been an all-time disaster.
Following an offseason dictated by headlines about Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson, the on-field product has been even more embarrassing for the storied university. One Tar Heels’ booster said to Pablo Torre Finds Out that the saga represents “the desecration of our University” and there are no signs of it getting better.
Amid reports of buyout talks and North Carolina exploring ways to end things early, it’s time to evaluate potential Tar Heels coaching candidates to replace Belichick.
James Franklin, former Penn State Nittany Lions Head Coach
The dream scenario for North Carolina should truly be replacing Belichick with James Franklin. While he was rightfully knocked for his 4-21 record versus top-10 teams, he still won a majority of his games. Even including his disastrous final season, Penn State posted a 37-11 record (.771 winning percentage) in his final four seasons. Furthermore, he recorded a .615 winning percentage at Vanderbilt, followed by a .698 at Penn State.
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This hire also requires North Carolina to accept that it’s always going to be a basketball school, with consistency from its football program viewed as a bonus. Franklin can deliver a few seasons with double-digit wins but more regularly have the Tar Heels winning eight-plus games each season.
Another benefit with Franklin is that, with Penn State still on the hook for his buyout, he’s a relatively affordable option for a Tar Heels program that will likely have to deal with Belichick’s buyout. He would be a home run hire for North Carolina.
Jon Sumrall, Tulane Green Wave Head Coach
There’s a strong pool of college football coaching candidates this year, but the problem for North Carolina is the competition. Penn State is already looking for a head coach, the Florida Gators will likely join the mix, and there are also openings for the Arkansas Razorbacks, UCLA Bruins, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and the Virginia Tech Hokies. So, this won’t be the top job available.
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North Carolina has to take a swing at Jon Sumrall. He started his head-coaching career at Troy, a team that went 15-20 in its previous three seasons, and he immediately turned them into a 12-win program. The Trojans went 11-2 the following year before he was hired by Tulane. Sumrall had big shoes to fill, given Willie Fritz’s success, and he’s on track for his second consecutive season with nine-plus wins.
This would be a step up for Sumrall and provide him with an opportunity to rebuild the Tar Heels’ football program following Belichick’s departure. If all goes well, it might just be a stepping stone in Sumrall’s coaching career, but he would get this team back to a more than respectable level.
Alex Golesh, South Florida Bulls Head Coach
Fortunately for North Carolina, there are a lot of up-and-coming coaches in the proverbial pipeline at smaller programs. South Florida Bulls coach Alex Golesh is among them, especially considering what he’s done in just a three-year span.
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South Florida’s football program had reached a point of irrelevancy, posting a combined 4-26 record under Jeff Scott. So, the Bulls rolled the dice on the Tennessee Volunteers offensive coordinator. Golesh, who spent the previous three seasons under Josh Heupel, immediately delivered a better offense (26.7 PPG to 31.4 PPG), and South Florida is now averaging over 35 points per game this season.
After delivering consecutive 7-5 seasons, Golesh’s Bulls are now on track for their first season with double-digit wins since 2017. The 41-year-old is ready for that next step in his coaching career, and North Carolina could be a spot where he spends the next six-plus years.
Jeff Traylor, UTSA Roadrunners Head Coach
One theme with our Tar Heels coaching candidates is head-coaching experience. If North Carolina is willing to take a chance on someone without it, then Texas A&M Aggies offensive coordinator Collin Klein and Oklahoma Sooners offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle are two names worth mentioning.
UTSA head coach Jeff Traylor is a solid option. Formerly an assistant head coach and running backs coach at SMU and Arkansas, Traylor has won seven-plus games in every season. That includes success in two separate conferences (Conference USA and the AAC), and the Roadrunners have reached a bowl game in every season he’s been the head coach. Traylor wouldn’t be a splashy hire by any means, but he would bring stability and experience back to North Carolina.
Dan Mullen, UNLV Rebels Coach
It simply didn’t work out for Dan Mullen with the Florida Gators, though his replacement is also about to be shown the door. After a few seasons away from the sideline, Mullen was hired by the UNLV Rebels, taking over for Barry Odom. Just as he did at Mississippi State (.600 winning percentage), Mullen is proving to be a consistent winner in his third head-coaching stint.
UNLV is on pace for just its third season with double-digit wins in program history. North Carolina would offer him better opportunities, with a better recruiting pool and NIL support than UNLV can offer. As for the Tar Heels, there would be minimal risk of Mullen bolting for a bigger job given what happened at Florida. None of these head coaches would turn the Tar Heels into a national championship contender, but fans and boosters would get to watch and support a winning program that passes the time until basketball season starts.
