30 - 10 Here we go again with North Carolina. The fast start limp to the finish line program under Mack Brown.
2020 Start 4-1 Finish 8-4
2021 Start 4-3 Finish 6-7
2022 Start 9-1 Finish 9-5
2023 Start 6-0 Finish 8-5
That is also 4 straight years of losing a bowl game including this season’s 30-10 Mayo Bowl loss to West Virginia.
The Heels don’t get better in the 2nd half of seasons. They wear down, they get upset, and they limp to the finish line.
This isn’t about transfers, opt-outs, or anything like that. The second-half collapses were set well into motion before that.
It’s happening with current and future NFL QBs like Sam Howell and Drake Maye leading things. What’s going on here? It’s a cultural issue at UNC. They aren’t tough, especially on the defensive side of the football. Under Mack Brown, the Tar Heels are a soft team.
Going into 2024, and without Drake Maye and several other offense stars headed to the NFL, the Heels as a program is at crossroads. They couldn’t turn good recruiting classes into anything more substantial than good starts to a season, and a couple of upset wins.
North Carolina has to decide here pretty soon if Mack Brown after 5 seasons is the right coach to get them over the hump. He’ll be back next year, but he’ll be coaching a less talented UNC team in an ACC with emerging improving programs like NC State, Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech with the heavyweights Clemson and Florida State still in the mix.
UNC might be falling behind as a football program, and next year might be a make-or-break season for Mack Brown.
