After an overtime loss to North Carolina State, North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora will reportedly be fired after another lost season.
North Carolina has bottomed out after a 2-9 season that has reportedly cost coach Larry Fedora his job.
According to Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina, a head coaching change within the Tar Heels program is imminent. Tar Heel Illustrated later confirmed Fedora was relieved of his duties after the season finale loss. North Carolina Athletic Director Bubba Cuningham said after the game that no decision has been made.
This is the worst season of North Carolina football since 2003. The Tar Heels have dropped three straight games to North Carolina State. North Carolina has won a combined two ACC games the last two seasons, both of which coming against the division rival Pittsburgh Panthers.
Fedora was in his seventh season leading the program. He had been with the Southern Miss Golden Eagles prior to arriving in Chapel Hill in 2012. While the program was on probation during his first year with the team, the Tar Heels made four straight bowls from 2013 to 2016. This includes an ACC Coastal title in 2015.
However, North Carolina has gone a combined 5-18 overall and 2-14 in ACC play the last two years. Fedora’s buyout would be $12.2 million, according to USA Today. It’s not a ridiculous sum, but something for the university to consider. Then again, winning only two conference games the last two seasons is something to consider.
So what would be gained by canning Fedora at this point? Well, the ACC Coastal is the weaker of the two divisions. It’s not like North Carolina plays the juggernaut Clemson Tigers annually. This year, Pittsburgh won the Coastal with a 7-5 record. This is a team that North Carolina actually beat.
Given that this is the flagship university in North Carolina, and that the athletic department had Fedora coaching the football team for seven seasons, the Tar Heels stand a chance at getting a strong, up-and-coming coach that wants to prove himself at the Power 5 level.
Essentially, winning the division isn’t out of the realm of possibility. North Carolina won it outright only three years ago. The in-state football talent may not be that of other states, but North Carolina is a program more than capable of getting to holiday season bowls annually.
With Fedora out, keep an eye on Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield as a possible candidate.