We now know where North Carolina Tar Heels football will be playing this bowl season. But who will assume the head coaching role on a full-time basis once the ACC school wraps up against Connecticut at the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28?
For now, one name we know will not be the next man up in Chapel Hill is Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. The coach of the Green Wave posted Sunday on social media that heās staying in New Orleans.
With Mack Brown officially out, UNC will now be looking to fill the head coach position. At BetCarolina.com, your source for real money NC sportsbook promos, we developed exclusive odds to project who the next coach will be in Chapel Hill.
Next UNC Head Coach Odds
Coach | Odds | Percent Chance |
Bill Belichick (Former Patriots HC) | +250 | 28.6% |
Glenn Schumann (Georgia DC) | +600 | 14.3% |
Dan Mullen (TV Analyst/Former Florida HC) | +650 | 13.3% |
Freddie Kitchens (UNC Interim HC) | +850 | 10.5% |
The Field | +200 | 33.3% |
A name that might be stunning for many observers has interviewed for the job and now heās at the top of our list. That would be six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick.
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer reportedly interviewed for a second time with the school over the weekend, while some other names make the cut on our latest UNC head coaching odds board.
For now, all we know is that it wonāt be Sumrall, who had been first on our odds board last week.
Belichick is now the leader to replace Brown at UNC after his second interview. The former New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns head coach is coming in at +250 to be the next man up at the ACC institution. That would translate to a 28.6% chance at North Carolina sports betting sites if they offered this prop.
If Belichick isnāt the guy, keep an eye on Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann (+600) and former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen (+650) as the replacement for Brown. UNCās interim coach for the Fenway Bowl, Freddie Kitchens, is a longshot to keep the gig, at +850.
Schumann is an up-and-coming assistant in college football, taking over the Georgia DC job in 2022 and climbing the ranks fast for a guy whoās just 34. The Bulldogs are among the favorites to win the College Football Playoff at various NC sportsbook apps.
Mullen thrived in Gainesville and Starkville, going 103-61 (.628) at the two SEC schools between 2009 and 2021.
Kitchens struggled as head coach with the Cleveland Browns, going 6-10 in his lone season along the banks of Lake Erie before getting fired in 2019. Since then, he has been an assistant coach with the New York Giants, then moved to the college ranks, and has been on Brownās staff since February 2023.
Whichever coach inherits the UNC mantel from Brown is getting their hands on a program that has made a bowl game in six straight seasons. The Tar Heels are potentially poised for great things should the right man take over the job in 2025 as the program seeks its first ACC title since 1980.
For the bowl game against UConn, which kicks off at 11 a.m. Eastern on Dec. 28 at Bostonās Fenway Park, the Tar Heels are 4.5-point favorites at bet365 North Carolina Sportsbook to beat the Huskies.
Illustration using LinkedIn badge and USA Today photo by Charles LeClaire
Author
Christopher Boan is a lead writer at BetCarolina.com specializing in covering state issues. He has covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
