Mack Brown confirms he intends to return to UNC in 2025

There has been plenty of talk about Mack Brown and his future at North Carolina throughout the 2024 season. The Tar Heels are currently 6-5 entering Saturday’s regular season finale against NC State, and Mack Brown is 73 years old and will turn 74 next August.

Brown addressed his future in Chapel Hill during a weekly press conference on Monday and was asked directly if he intends to be back in 2025.

“Yes,” he responded.

While Mack Brown said that he plans to be back, he acknowledged that he hasn’t spoken with North Carolina Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham yet about the 2025 season and beyond.

“You never talk to your Athletics Director until the year’s over,” Brown said. “Everybody always does that. My total focus is on NC State. What an awful thing to be talking about me when we just played a bad game and need to beat State.”

North Carolina suffered a 41-21 loss to Boston College this past weekend, which ended a three-game winning streak. The Tar Heels will now host rival NC State in their regular season finale on Saturday.

Brown also spoke Monday about why he continues to coach and what factors into his decision.

“When you’re 73 you’re asked every day. I mean recruits have asked every day, every year, ‘How long are you going to do this?’ And I’ve said I’ll do it as long as I’m happy, as long as I’m healthy and as long as I’m effective,” Mack Brown said. “I’m not going to think about retiring. I’m not going to talk about retiring. I haven’t changed that for six years.

“I learned that from Texas. And there will be a morning when I’ll get up and I’ll say, ‘You know what, somebody else should be leading this team. They’re better than I am at this at this point.’ And then I’ll go do something else. But I’ve got way too much to do to be worried about next week. I’m trying to beat NC State.”

Brown also said that the outside noise about his future has been turned up a notch this week after the Tar Heels poor showing against Boston College. However, when it’s time for him to retire, he won’t make that decision based off of one game.

“It’s really funny, when I talk to my friends, if you lose a game now, you’re fired. It’s 100 percent. It’s unbelievable. Gotta be gone. And the message boards are worse,” Brown said. “I mean they’re all the same thing with just different names. But they’ve all got the same stuff on them. So why do you worry about it? You’ve just gotta do your job.

“What I do this for is the kids. You have a powerful purpose in your life when you can help change someone’s life. Not many of us get to do that. … My job is to try to help others. And what I can do right now is try to help these players.”