Mack Brown, the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels football team, finds himself under the microscope once again. The Tar Heels' recent performances have sparked doubt and raised questions about their ability to maintain their status as not only College Football Playoff contenders but ACC contenders. It's a story that has repeated itself far too often during Brown's tenure, leaving many to wonder if this team is truly committed to winning or if it's just a basketball school pretending to be a football program.
Coming into this season, there was an air of expectation surrounding North Carolina football. Heisman Trophy hopeful Drake Maye was returning after helping the Tar Heels reach the ACC Championship game last year for the first time since 2015. This made the Tar Heels a considered favorite to compete for the ACC title again in 2023. However, even then, skeptics abounded. Why? Because history had shown that North Carolina football often finds itself on the end of inexplicable losses they've had no business being a part of.
Virginia, Georgia Tech losses prove North Carolina football is no different in 2023
This season has been no different. Just when everyone wanted to start believing this Tar Heels football team was good, the air got too thin towards the top, and they faded out. As soon as the Tar Heels surged to No. 10 in the country after defeating No. 25 Miami, they quickly fell to a one-win Virginia team at home the following week.
But it was their latest loss to Georgia Tech that underscored a troubling pattern. It highlighted defensive issues that have plagued North Carolina throughout this season and going back even to last. Missed tackles and other blown defensive assignments led to a plethora of big plays that resulted in North Carolina's loss and a falling out of the top-25. The Tar Heels now rank 13th in total defense in the ACC, a stark contrast to their early-season dominance when everyone thought that transfer portal acquisitions had solved all the problems in Gene Chizik's defense.
Saturday's loss to the Yellow Jackets now makes three consecutive years that North Carolina football has fallen to a Georgia Tech team that has been in deep transition mode, trying to find a new identity after moving away from the Paul Johnson era and the triple-option offense. It's a further example of the kind of inexplicable losses this team continuously finds itself in that are now starting to pile up.
North Carolina football has history of bad, season-crushing losses
Going back to last season's Georgia Tech loss, where a then-No. 13 North Carolina football team lost at home to the Yellow Jackets, it started a four-game losing streak to end the season. In 2021, to start the season at No. 10, they lost to an unranked Virginia Tech, followed by an unranked Georgia Tech team a few weeks later.
In 2020, which consisted of all ACC conference play, then No. 5 in the country, they lost to an unranked Florida State team in Doak Campbell Stadium. Dropping down to No. 15 after the loss to FSU, they lost their next one two weeks later to an unranked Virginia. At least in 2019, Brown's first season, deserves a bit of a pass given that it was his first season, but the Tar Heels finished 7-6, with a win in the Military Bowl.
Deep down, though, it's not just about one season's performance; it's about a culture within the program. North Carolina, albeit known as a basketball powerhouse — which undoubtedly is a hard stigma to overcome — keeps finding itself in a short-term success rate. They have yet to figure out how to build long-term, seeing as how they consistently miss out on seizing every opportunity presented to them.
What is Mack Brown's future with North Carolina football?
Mack Brown, with a 36-24 record in his second stint at North Carolina, has failed to deliver the consistent success that was expected of him when he returned. His best season was last year when he got the Tar Heels to 9-5 but has only finished ranked in the top-25 once, which was back during the 2020 Covid season (18th). And despite the presence of exceptional quarterback talent in Sam Howell and Drake Maye, the Tar Heels have only made one trip to the ACC Championship Game during his tenure. He's 1-3 in bowl games.
North Carolina's projected win total at the start of the season was around 7.5, and it seemed like they would surpass it with ease during their impressive 6-0 start. However, their recent struggles in ACC play have raised concerns about whether they can even meet those modest expectations now. With two ACC losses, a playoff berth is certainly out of the question, and a shot at making a New Year's Six Bowl is also likely out as well, and while an ACC Championship Game appearance seems lost, conference mediocrity keeps that attainable.
The question that looms large is, what's next for Mack Brown? So far, the 72-year-old has made no mention of retirement, but the university could force his decision on that if there are more games like the last two.
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