UNC football coaching candidates: Jon Sumrall, Arthur Smith and more names to watch

Mack Brown is out at North Carolina, opening up the first Power 4 vacancy of the head coaching carousel. The move had been rumored for much of this season, ever since the Tar Heels’ 70-50 loss to James Madison in Chapel Hill in September. Industry sources told The Athletic Tuesday morning that North Carolina preferred to enter the search market this winter instead of a year from now, when it’s expected there will be more open Power 4 jobs and thus more competition for top candidates.

Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall has had a terrific debut season at Tulane, and the Green Wave are 9-2 with legit Playoff hopes. He went 23-4 in two seasons revitalizing the program at Troy. The 42-year-old is the hottest name in the Group of 5 ranks and is well-regarded in coaching circles for his ability to connect with people and feel for the game. He has strong ties in the South from his time as an assistant at Kentucky and Ole Miss. It wouldn’t be surprising if he were UNC’s top target, and this would be a great hire for the Tar Heels if they can make it happen. One question here: If he waits another year, would he be in prime position for bigger jobs likely to come open in the SEC?

Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell has won big everywhere he’s been and runs an innovative, fun offense. At Coastal Carolina, he went 31-6 in his last three years before leaving for a bigger payday at Liberty. He led the Flames to the Fiesta Bowl in his first season and is 21-3 entering the regular-season finale of Year 2. The 47-year-old from Tennessee was passed over a few years ago for some SEC jobs for which he could’ve been a good fit. He would be an interesting option for the Tar Heels.

UNLV head coach Barry Odom has completely turned around the Rebels in less than two years. He has made smart hires, giving chances to two young coordinators who have worked out great in OC Brennan Marion and DC Mike Scherer. Odom spent four seasons at the helm of his alma mater Missouri, going 25-25 in what was a very tough time for the Tigers after the retirement of Gary Pinkel. Odom clearly has learned a lot since then. He’s 18-7 at a place that hadn’t won more than eight games in a season in 40 years.

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, still only 44, has gotten the Cyclones into Playoff consideration with a 9-2 record in his ninth season. Campbell has posted seven winning seasons in Ames, including a No. 9 finish in 2020. With a gifted quarterback in sophomore Rocco Becht expected to return and other promising young talent (five freshmen or sophomores start on offense, four on defense), Campbell might have an even better squad next year, so the timing of a move might not make sense.

Marshall head coach Charles Huff was a respected assistant at Penn State, Alabama and Mississippi State before taking over the Thundering Herd. The 41-year-old from Maryland is 30-20 in four seasons and has Marshall 6-1 in the Sun Belt.

Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield is in his fifth season leading the Tigers and has continued to elevate the program, going 19-5 the past two seasons. The 44-year-old Silverfield has coached at all levels, including stints in the NFL with the Vikings and Lions.

James Madison head coach Bob Chesney has gradually risen up the coaching ranks, from Assumption College to Holy Cross and now to the Dukes, who are 8-3 despite losing 13 players to Indiana when the Hoosiers hired away Curt Cignetti. James Madison blew out the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, putting 70 up on UNC. The 47-year-old Chesney looks like he has a P4 job in his future, but it might not be this soon.

Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea also is expected to draw some interest. His fourth season back at his alma mater has been his best, with the Commodores beating Alabama for the first time in 40 years. They are 6-5 and bowl eligible. Lea came to Vanderbilt after a stint as Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator, and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham also spent extensive time working in the Fighting Irish athletic department. Notre Dame, Vanderbilt and North Carolina have multiple similarities when it comes to alignment.

One defensive coordinator who we hear might be in play is Georgia’s Glenn Schumann. The 34-year-old Georgia native, who has spent his entire career coaching at Alabama (his alma mater) and Georgia, working on staff for six national title teams. Schumann is considered a brilliant tactician and has been a valued top assistant to Kirby Smart. Considering how horrible UNC has been on defense, Schumann might be a very attractive option.

Another coordinator North Carolina might look at is Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. The long-time Brian Kelly assistant did excellent work for the Irish before following Kelly to LSU, where he helped Jayden Daniels win the Heisman. Denbrock is 60, but as one industry source pointed out Tuesday, that’s still more than a dozen years younger than Brown. Denbrock keeps proving he’s really good at what he does.

One potentially intriguing option with very strong ties at North Carolina is Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who we hear has some traction with key people in Chapel Hill. Smith played offensive line at UNC and began his coaching career there as a graduate assistant. He went 21-30 in three seasons as the Atlanta Falcons head coach before landing on Mike Tomlin’s staff this year. The possibility of having his father Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx, as big asset to a college program also could make a lot of sense for the Tar Heels.

Dan Mullen has been out of coaching since 2021 and has to some degree replaced Brown in the studio at ESPN. The 52-year-old did well at Mississippi State before taking over at Florida, where he did have three top-15 finishes before things fell apart. Is Mullen ready to come back to coaching, and would UNC think he’s a good fit in Chapel Hill?

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