North Carolina Football: 5 Candidates to replace Larry Fedora
North Carolina football has decided to move on from head coach Larry Fedora after seven seasons and back-to-back nine loss campaigns.
At one-time one of the most well regarded names in the coaching profession, Larry Fedora has been fired by North Carolina after back-to-back seasons at the bottom of the ACC, finishing his seven-year tenure at the school with a 45-43 record.
Getting the Chapel Hill gig following a successful stint at Southern Miss, Fedora’s tenure with the Tar Heels started off well as he helped right the ship of a program following the tumultuous tenure of Butch Davis, which brought with it heat from the NCAA due to improper benefits and academic fraud.
After a year away from the postseason due to a bowl ban, despite an 8-4 record in his first year, Fedora led the Heels to four consecutive bowl berths, culminating in an 11-3 season in 2015 where they went 8-0 in the ACC prior to losing to Clemson in the conference title game. The Heels finished ranked 15th in both major polls, but things were never as good again.
It was downhill from there, culminating in consecutive nine loss seasons in 2017 and 2018. Fedora went 26-14 in ACC play through his first five seasons, but managed just a 2-14 mark against conference opponents over the last two seasons.
This decision did not come lightly for North Carolina Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, as the Tar Heels will owe Fedora $12 million in a buyout.
The cupboard won’t be exactly bare for the next head coach in Chapel Hill as Fedora’s recruiting efforts were still largely good; their 2018 recruiting class was ranked 20th in the 247Sports composite rankings.
There is potential to win big at North Carolina, particularly in a wide-open Coastal Division of the ACC.
There won’t be a shortage of interested candidates in the job, and with a lack of big-time job openings, the Tar Heels may be one of the most attractive landing spots on the market for young coaches looking to make the leap.
Who are the top candidates to replace Fedora and take over the North Carolina job?