Who Will UNC's Next Football Coach Be?

By Caleb Thurman

After a fifth straight loss to hated rival North Carolina State last Saturday, it became painfully obvious that the current coaching staff for North Carolina will be on their way out at the conclusion of the season.  Although no formal announcement has been made yet by school officials in regard to the release of Interim Head Coach Everett Withers, many fans and alumni are already looking forward to the next chapter in UNC football.

A large part of this excitement is due to the hiring of Bubba Cunningham, a football-minded Athletic Director from Tulsa who has developed many connections throughout the NCAA community.  The Notre Dame graduate will officially begin his stint as UNC Athletic Director this month, with his first goal being to find out who will be on the sidelines for the Tar Heels next fall.  Let’s take a look at a few of the potential candidates who we’ve been hearing could be that man:

#1. Chris Petersen

Head Coach, Boise State

Petersen

Petersen’s name has been on the short-list for almost every head coaching job in the nation, and for good reason.  Since being promoted from Offensive Coordinator to Head Coach in 2006, Petersen has posted a 69-5 record at Boise State with two BCS wins included (2007 and 2010 Fiesta Bowls).  He is also the first and only two-time winner of the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award.

While serving at Tusla, Bubba Cunningham developed a strong relationship with Petersen when he tried to lure him there to coach in 2007.  Petersen allegedly told Cunningham to give him a call when got to a BCS school.  Now that time has come, which has UNC fans very excited about the prospect of bringing in someone of Petersen’s caliber to Chapel Hill.

In order to land the 47-year-old coach, North Carolina will likely have to offer out a large amount of money.  Some sources speculate that UNC is willing to offer as much as 3.2 million to their next Head Coach, but this hasn’t been confirmed.  Petersen’s previous offers from other schools were declined in large part due to the comfortableness he and his family had established in Boise and because of his son’s ailing health.  With great medical facilities surrounding the Chapel Hill area at both UNC and Duke, it’s easy to see why this job may be just too tempting for Petersen to pass up if he is indeed pursued.

#2. Gus Malzahn

Offensive Coordinator, Auburn

            Gus Malzahn is widely regarded as one of the best offensive coordinators in college football.  According to Sports Illustrated, Malzahn is “one of the sport's most innovative offensive minds, not just in the college ranks, but in all of football.”  Before his current position with the Auburn Tigers, Malzahn served as Assistant Coach and offensive coordinator for Tulsa.

Malzahn

            During his two years with the Golden Hurricanes, Malzahn’s offense exploded onto the college football scene as one of the best in the nation and became the first team in college football history to boast a 5,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher, and three 1,000-yard receivers in a single season.  In 2008, Malzahn took the offensive coordinator position at Auburn where he continued to have offensive success.  Malzahn won a BCS National Championship in 2010 with Heisman trophy-winner Cam Newton leading the way for his offense.  He was then awarded the Broyles Award which recognizes the top assistant coach in the nation.

            Because of his relationship with UNC’s Cunningham while they both served at Tulsa, Malzahn is an extremely likely choice for the Heels if Petersen turns them down.  If he is indeed interested, Malzahn would bring an exciting offense to Chapel Hill that would fill seats, something that UNC desperately needs in both regards.

           

#3. Kevin Sumlin

Head Coach, Houston

Sumlin

            Coach Kevin Sumlin of the Houston Cougars is a rising star among the college ranks.  Sumlin runs a high-octane offense lead by Senior quarterback Case Keenum.  Although he’s only had four years of head coaching experience, Sumlin has served under many great coaches with the most recent being Bob Stoops at Oklahoma. 

As the offensive coordinator for the Sooners, Sumlin’s offenses were consistently ranked towards the top in the nation.  The Sooners averaged a whopping 44 points per game in his final season there.  This success on offense has translated over to Houston, where the Cougars are one of the last remaining unbeaten teams in college football.

Sumlin has a career record of 32-16 and was named a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award in 2009 after leading the Cougars to a Conference-USA divisional title and a 10-4 record.  He would be a risky pick due to his inexperience as a head coach, but is still considered one of the leading candidates for the position.