Will North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham target a sitting head coach, like Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, or a well-regarded coordinator from a major program, like Georgia’s Glenn Schumann?

Brown, 73, has three years left on his contract. The decision to part ways comes amid a rollercoaster final season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels lost four consecutive games, including an embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison in September, regrouped to win three in a row and then lost to Boston College 41-21 on Saturday.

The second tenure for Mack Brown as the North Carolina Tar Heels head football coach will end after this season.