Mack Brown admits North Carolina players hear the outside noise

It’s been a difficult season for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Amid those struggles, head coach Mack Brown admitted that the Tar Heels players are starting to hear the outside noise of the program.

This comes amid a season where North Carolina is 4-4 overall and just 1-3 in ACC. All four of those losses came in a row, with the losing streak only coming to an end in Week 9 against rival Virginia.

“They read what you all write,” Mack Brown said. “They’re on their phones all the time. So, that’s part of the distractions. They hear what our fans say that are bad to them. The good fans don’t get on the internet. They don’t praise them.”

Mack Brown shared that this isn’t because there isn’t anyone being positive about the program. However, that positivity is largely not on social media. That makes it harder for the average player to see and appreciate.

“Even if they love JJ [Jones], they send me notes,” Brown said. “I’ve gotten more positive notes this year, probably, than I’ve ever gotten about ‘hand in there’ and ‘keep fighting’ and doing those types of things. But the great, positive fans that are really for the kids more than their egos are the ones that write the notes and are worried about the kids and are worried about their mental health and worried about Tylee [Craft].”

The North Carolina program has gone through several challenges this season. Perhaps the most notable was the emotional passing of Tylee Craft. The player turned student coach passed away following his battle with cancer.

“I got a letter this morning from a fan at Louisville that said, ‘Louisville football hates your loss,’ and so a lot of times in tragic times people step up and they’re more positive than ever. I’ve actually seen that happen in so many cases,” Brown concluded.

The win over Virginia was North Carolina’s first since the passing of Craft. Prior to the game, Virginia football sent notes of support to the Tar Heels, which Mack Brown was appreciative of after the game.

If North Carolina is going to make a bowl game this season, the Tar Heels will need to find a way to win two of their final four games this season. That starts this upcoming weekend when the Tar Heels are set to travel to Florida State.