Mack Brown addresses what he looks for while filling out UNC's coaching staff

The North Carolina Tar Heels are going to look very different on the field next season. A year after losing multiple offensive playmakers, UNC will now lose quarterback Sam Howell. But UNC’s changes extend further than just on the field, as Mack Brown has made multiple changes to his coaching staff.

Brown spoke to the media on Monday, where he elaborated on what he looks for when filling out UNC’s coaching staff. That led him to a specific story about Jack Bicknell Jr., who is UNC’s offensive line coach.

“You always want to hire guys that have won,” Brown said on filling UNC’s staff with championship pedigree. “You always want to hire guys that believe in what you believe in. I love Jack (Bicknell)’s dad – Coach Bickell Sr. I mean he was one of those guys that I always looked up to at a young age. But coach Bicknell Sr. was one of the nicest, most generous, most giving guys that all of us looked up to.

“I followed his son through the years and he was with Chip Kelly and Ryan Day and these guys up in New Hampshire and they were doing great things before anybody even knew what was going on out there. So he just gets it and he’s been very successful. Coach (Gus) Malzahn called our people and said, ‘Hey, you better hire this guy. He’s the best that’s out there, man. You better get him fast.’ I get Coach (Larry) Porter in a different room then I get Coach (Phil) Longo and say, ‘Coach Porter, what do you think?’ He said, ‘Oh man, get him.’ Called him ‘Bick,’ so I guess that meant they were close enough to have a nickname. So he says, ‘Bick, if you hire him man, he’s the best that’s out there. He is unbelievable.’ And then Coach Longo’s been on coach’s bandwagon for a long time.”

Brown wants coaches on UNC staff that he’d want his son to play for

Ultimately, when filling out UNC’s coaching staff, and coaching in general, Brown wants coaches around that he’d want his kids to play for. He feels like he has done that.

UNC had a disappointing season last year, picking up six wins. But with UNC’s new look staff, Brown is confident that the Tar Heels are moving in the right direction on staff.

“So I think more than anything else, my job is to make sure that I bring coaches in here that I would want my son or grandson to play for. Number one, I got to trust him that much. And the second thing is I’ve got to make sure that I’m doing my job for our players, for the other staff members in the room, but also for the university administration and all of our fans. We said we’re going to get this thing fixed. We did the first year. Orange Bowl second year. Third year we didn’t reach our goal, so it’s time to fix it and to do that you have to take drastic measures and you have to make sure that it’s not lip service. You change things, and we’re changing a lot of things moving forward and I’m really excited about it.”