North Carolina fires Mack Brown a day after he said he planned to be back in 2025

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown watches as the team warms up before an NCAA college football game against Wake Forest, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward) (Chris Seward/AP)

By Nick Bromberg, Yahoo Sports

Mack Brown won’t be back at North Carolina for the 2025 season after all.

A day after Brown said that he intended to return next season, UNC is firing the longtime coach according to Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger.

North Carolina is 6-5 ahead of its final game of the season against NC State.

Brown was one of just three active coaches with a national championship along with Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney. The 2024 season was the sixth year of his second stint with the Tar Heels and the team had taken a step back from the past two seasons.

North Carolina lost four straight games after a 3-0 start to the season. The Tar Heels gave up a shocking 70 points to James Madison in a 70-50 loss to start that streak and the fourth loss was a 41-34 defeat to Georgia Tech after the Yellow Jackets scored the go-ahead TD on a 68-yard run with 16 seconds to go.