The former Tar Heel and current NFL coach has been touted as a possible replacement for Mack Brown

The 2025 college football season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina will look very different.

On Tuesday, November 26, UNC announced that it was firing head coach Mack Brown. Mack will continue to coach the Tar Heels against NC State and possibly the bowl game, but he will not return in 2025.

Mack led the Tar Heels back to bowl eligibility with a win over Wake Forest and gave North Carolina fans and the athletic department some hope for his future, but an embarrassing loss at Boston College changed the tone again.

With Mack soon to be gone, a national coaching search is underway. A possible replacement for Mack – one that would make a lot of sense in my opinion – is Arthur Smith, the former Tar Heel and current offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Smith played under John Bunting at UNC from 2001 to 2005, but struggled with a foot problem that forced him to miss all of 2002 and 2003. After graduating, Smith served as a graduate assistant for North Carolina in 2006.

You might recognize Smith’s name better from his NFL coaching appearances. He was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023 – and had former North Carolina star Mack Hollins on his roster in 2023. Before that, Smith spent 10 seasons with the Tennessee Titans, most notably coaching an electric offense — led by NFL star Derrick Henry — to the 2020 AFC Championship.

While I believe the Tar Heels should look outside of former player/coach relationships when searching for their next head coach, I also think Smith would be a great hire. He is young (42 years old), knows how to win and is passionate about being on the sidelines.

Who will UNC hire as its next head coach? Be sure to follow our Coaching Big Board.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: The former Tar Heel and current NFL coach has been touted as a possible replacement for Mack Brown