Mack Brown reveals new details on Texas discussions with Pac-12
Mack Brown knows from his time at Texas that conference realignment is impossible to predict. Back in 2010 when Brown was the coach of the Longhorns, rumors were swirling around that the team was headed for the Pac-12.
The talk was so pervasive that Brown believed the move to be inevitable and started to make plans for the future. However, it turned out not to be true as Texas would ultimately stay put in the Big 12 despite the departures of Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas A&M.
“When I was at Texas, it looked like we were going to the Pac-12,” Brown said in a Wednesday appearance on ESPN. “We looked at a lot of different things and then it didn’t happen. …We were down to the end and all I could tell the players was that there were things that were happening. Some of what they read and hear is true and some of it’s not. I don’t have all the answers either. I actually felt like we were probably going to the Pac-12, so in your mind you start looking at recruiting areas. How about travel? How about scheduling? All those things. Really and truly, none of it happens so I wasted a lot of energy and time on something that wasn’t a factor for me.”
Now the coach at North Carolina, Brown finds himself in a similar position. USC and UCLA recently announced they will join the Big Ten by 2024, causing much speculation about further movement among the conferences. The Tar Heels have been involved in that discussion, with some reports indicating they along with other members of the ACC could join the SEC.
Mack Brown learned his lesson at Texas and is employing it this time around when he talks to his UNC team. He has been honest that he isn’t sure what is going to happen, but told his players that the main focus should be winning this season.
“I’ve told our guys that there’s a lot of people discussing things, but you’re in the ACC,” Brown said. “We’ve got a tough schedule next year. Let’s plan on being the best we can be and quit worrying about stuff beyond that. That’s the healthiest for me and our staff. I told our staff, ‘If I get any information you haven’t read, I will share it with you. But until I do, you just coach your tail off and recruit like we’ve always done and get ready to play.’ That’s the only healthy way to do it because it’s just crazy when you sit and listen and look at all the stuff. Then you start thinking, ‘What about this? What about this?’ It’s really wasted energy.”
Brown is set to enter his fourth season as the Tar Heels’ head coach in 2022 and is coming off of a 6-7 finish this past season. He’ll hope his team can put realignment rumors at the back of their minds when the season kicks off on Aug. 27 against Florida A&M.