Brown as recently as Monday said he planned to return next season, but Bubba Cunningham, the UNC athletic director, informed Brown later Monday that “he will not return as head coach.”

Mack Brown came back for this season to show, at age 73, he was still the right man for the job. In some ways, he was. But it was impossible to look at the results and want more of this.

Mere days after legendary coach Mack Brown left the door open to a return in 2025, North Carolina football slammed it shut. UCN announced Tuesday Brown would not be returning after 2024, ending his second tenure after six years and 16 total years in Chapel Hill.