If Mack Brown couldn't do it at North Carolina, then who can?

Mack Brown’s desk sat in the middle of his office. To the right were floor-to-ceiling windows that open up to a beautiful view of Kenan Memorial Stadium. To the right was a wall filled with the many accomplishments during his illustrious coaching career that spanned longer than five decades, including the national title he won at Texas. 

It was in that room, in March of 2020, where Brown sold me on North Carolina’s upside. At the time, he was in his upper 60s, but he spoke like he was 30. His words came out with conviction, with promise, with certainty that UNC was a sleeping giant that was soon going to awaken. 

Brown had a plan. He was going to recruit the state of North Carolina — a very underrated state for high school talent — and he was going to sell recruits the same way he did with me. He felt North Carolina was an under-recruited state, so he sent an assistant coach to ever high school in the state, whether they had a player or not. When those schools had players, Brown showed them the Carolina Blue Air Jordans, the national championship ring, UNC’s impressive academic standard, the beautiful campus, the winnable conference, everything. He knew North Carolina could win those battles over Clemson, Tennessee, Ohio State and whoever else dared come into his backyard.

Brown is a salesman to his core. He uses your name back at you in conversation, even if it’s the first time you’ve met. He makes you feel like you’re friends, regardless of status, stature or age. He makes you believe what he believes. It isn’t fake. Brown is just a very good person with a gift. 

On Tuesday, Brown was fired from his second stint at North Carolina, a day after he publicly stated he planned to return in 2025. In totality in Chapel Hill, he was a combined 113-78-1. In his second run with the Tar Heels, he took them to the ACC Championship Game in 2022. 

But Brown, as convincing as he is, would probably look you square in the eye and tell you his latest five-year run in Chapel Hill didn’t come close to living up to his vision. In large part because North Carolina could never field a good defense, the Tar Heels — once equipped with so much promise — never got over the hump. 

So the change was made. After it landed that Brown, who will coach North Carolina against N.C. State on Saturday, is no longer leading the Tar Heels, all of his wonderful and real sales pitches of what North Carolina could be stuck in my head. In my heart, it still feels like UNC could be a premier football program in this sport with the right investment and person leading the program. To me, Brown was that person.

But if he couldn’t do it, who could?

The sport has changed dramatically in the time since he took the job in 2019. Players are being paid now and they are transferring with impunity, both for bigger checks or faster routes to the field. That’s what makes this North Carolina job — and its upside in 2024 and beyond — so confusing.

Because even Sam Howell and Drake Maye and Josh Downs and the cluster of top-tier recruits UNC signed who didn’t pan out, North Carolina couldn’t get the job done. SMU, in its first year in the ACC, is on the verge of the conference championship game and UNC, a program that was recruiting at a pretty impressive clip under Brown, is 6-5. North Carolina is supposed to be so much further along.

Why isn’t it?

Is it because Brown made the wrong hires or signed the wrong players for his defense? Is it because Brown, now 73, is too old? Is it because quarterback Max Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in the first game of the year? Is it all of those things?

Or is it because North Carolina never had the proper buy-in when it came to the college football program, both in support of its coach and in the NIL landscape? If you look closely, the schools against which North Carolina was winning recruiting battles in 2020 and 2021 are much harder to beat now. Is North Carolina equipped to beat Tennessee for a top-tier prospect? Ohio State? Clemson even? Does North Carolina have the NIL support to do that?

Four-star offensive tackle Alex Payne of Gainesville (Ga.) High committed to North Carolina in January. He flipped to USC four days ago. Why did that happen? Hmm. 

It’s a new world.

Brown released a statement shortly after being let go.

“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time,” he said. “I’ve spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and will always cherish the memories and relationships Sally and I have built while serving as head coach. We’ve had the chance to coach and mentor some great young men, and we’ll miss having the opportunity to do that in the future. Moving forward, my total focus is on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game against N.C. State and give them the best chance to win. We want to send these seniors out right and I hope our fans will show up Saturday to do the same.”

Classy always. Classy forever.

Names are going to pop up for who should lead this program. On3’s Andy Staples released a hot board Tuesday that included Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, SMU’s Rhett Lashlee, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell and others. You can read the full list here.

But none of those people are Brown. I really thought he’d be able to do it. But he couldn’t.

Which makes me question: Is North Carolina actually good job or is it just an illusion?

Does it have all the right pieces in place for success?

Or does it have an administration and fanbase not willing to foot the bill for what it takes to actually win in this era of college football?