Mack Brown reflects on why his model no longer worked in college football

College football has changed quite a bit in recent years. Enough that it’s sometimes hardly recognizable for a long-time former coach like Mack Brown.

Brown recently departed from North Carolina amidst a backdrop where the Tar Heels were struggling to remain competitive on the NIL front. While Bill Belichick was brought in in an attempt to remedy that, what hasn’t changed is the challenges coaches these days are facing.

“How do you coach them like your dad would have done?” Brown wondered aloud on the More Than The Scoreboard podcast. “I kept trying to do it the same way. We signed 26 high school kids two years ago and didn’t pay a penny. And told them you had to earn it when you got there. And that’s not going to work. You’ve got too many people that want money.”

NIL has certainly changed the game for coaches like Mack Brown. It’s adapt or be forced out, as Brown learned the hard way to a certain extent.

Now, able to opine on things with the clarity of a little space, Mack Brown is being vocal about what he’s seen. Namely, a scene shift in terms of how scholarships get allocated.

“It’s really interesting that it’s hard to build it now with high school players because coaches are making too much money and fans and administrations aren’t patient,” Brown said. “So you’re sitting there, you’re in a little trouble, you’re going to go get that sophomore that you’ve seen play for two years instead of a high school senior at 17, 18 years old where you can develop him and wait. So it’s really hurt high school recruiting.”

Mack Brown has had tough conversations with parents who aren’t quite sure what has happened. He explained.

“I’ve had so many parents call me and say, ‘What do I do?’ My kid’s not getting the offers that we thought he was going to get,” Brown said. “And what the guy got two years ago. I said it’s a different time. He’s going to have to go to a smaller school and then he’s going to have to get a second contract like the NFL. That’s where we are.”

For Mack Brown, those concerns are no longer an every day worry. He can sit back and watch as other coaches struggle to come to terms with the new reality.

Still, it’s an interesting commentary on where college football stands right now. And few are better positioned than Brown to give voice to the issues.