Top 5 Coaching Candidates for North Carolina

5. Dan Mullen - TV Analyst/Former Head Coach

Dan Mullen is the current stalking horse in coaching searches. His name will always come up, but it’s unclear if he wants to take another head coaching position. Unless things align perfectly, he could stay in his cushy television analyst job and continue to enjoy his time with his family. Mullen has never loved grinding as a recruiter. However, if he is well-supported by boosters at North Carolina, he might not need to hit the trail as hard as he previously had to at Mississippi State or Florida. Mullen has produced good offenses and succeeded in Florida, although not quite to their standards. North Carolina should, at least, gauge his interest and see if he’s ready to jump back in.

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2. Jamey Chadwell - Liberty

Jamey Chadwell’s name will not be as hot as it was one year ago, but the Liberty head coach has connections to the Carolinas and would make a lot of sense. He was a head coach for 13 seasons in the state of South Carolina (notably, Coastal Carolina) and would have connections in the area. He took Liberty to the Fiesta Bowl in 2023 and is 60-25 as a head coach. The Flames and Chanticleers played fun offensive football, and if the Tar Heels can look beyond a dreadful loss to Kennesaw State this season, Chadwell is an attractive candidate.

Week 14: Liberty (-3.5) at Sam Houston State

3. Andy Kotelnicki - Penn State Offensive Coordinator

There are several exciting coordinator candidates, but the one that comes to mind immediately is Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Penn State has a unique offense and has jumped from 55th to 21st in total offense in Kotelnicki’s only season in State College. They run a ton of misdirection and sets that could be tough for ACC opponents to prepare for. Before Penn State, he was with Lance Leipold at Kansas and excelled there. Kotelnicki does not have head coaching experience, but if UNC wanted to take a chance, he’d be the coordinator to choose.

4. Barry Odom - UNLV Rebels

Many feel Barry Odom was given a quick hook at Missouri after he went to three bowl games in four seasons without the benefit of big NIL packages helping build a roster. He grinded as a coordinator and got another chance to lead a program in the desert at UNLV. Under his guidance, the Rebels are 18-7 in two seasons and are poised for another trip to the Mountain West Conference Championship Game and a showdown with Boise State. One deterrent to hiring Odom is that he’d likely be unable to bring star offensive coordinator Brennan Marion with him to Chapel Hill. If Odom left UNLV, Marion would likely be handed that job. Odom has no natural connections to the job or the area and seems like a long shot.

5. Dan Mullen - TV Analyst/Former Head Coach

Dan Mullen is the current stalking horse in coaching searches. His name will always come up, but it’s unclear if he wants to take another head coaching position. Unless things align perfectly, he could stay in his cushy television analyst job and continue to enjoy his time with his family. Mullen has never loved grinding as a recruiter. However, if he is well-supported by boosters at North Carolina, he might not need to hit the trail as hard as he previously had to at Mississippi State or Florida. Mullen has produced good offenses and succeeded in Florida, although not quite to their standards. North Carolina should, at least, gauge his interest and see if he’s ready to jump back in.

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