Mack Brown, UNC Agree to 1-Year Contract Extension Through January 2027

Mack Brown will be the head football coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels for the foreseeable future.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported the ACC program and the 70-year-old coach agreed to a one-year contract extension. It will keep Brown in place through the 2026 season and into January 2027.

"Since his return to Carolina, Mack has done an outstanding job building a positive culture and energizing our fan base,'' athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in the program's announcement. "Under his leadership, we will continue to win both on the field and in the classroom, and we are all excited about the future of our football program. Sincere thanks to Mack and Sally for all of their contributions to the Chapel Hill community."

Brown was a coaching legend even before he came to North Carolina ahead of the 2019 campaign for his second stint with the Tar Heels.

He coached Tulane from 1985 through 1987, North Carolina from 1988 through 1997 and Texas from 1998 through 2013.

He is best known for his time with the Longhorns when he went 158-48 and won a national championship during the 2005 season with Vince Young as his quarterback. He also reached the national title game during the 2009 campaign with Colt McCoy under center, but Texas lost to Alabama after its quarterback suffered an injury.

Brown's 259 career wins rank seventh on the all-time list and second to only Nick Saban among active head coaches.

It was something of a surprise when he came out of retirement to lead the Tar Heels in 2019, but he provided an immediate boost to a program that went 3-9 in 2017 and 2-9 in 2018. North Carolina went 7-6 in Brown's first season, 8-4 in his second and 6-7 in his third, reaching a bowl game all three years.

While the 6-7 mark was a disappointment in 2021 given elevated expectations and the presence of quarterback Sam Howell, the future looks bright with a 2022 recruiting class that is rated ninth in the country by 247Sports' composite rankings.