Larry Fedora's New Hat: UNC Announces Hire Of Next Head Coach

UNC Football Recruiting: Can Larry Fedora Fill Butch Davis' Hat?

What does new UNC coach Larry Fedora have to work with on the recruiting trail?

Larry Fedora's Press Conference: 'The Right Fit At The Right Time'

North Carolina introduced Larry Fedora its new head football coach on Friday.

The new coach spoke to media alongside North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham and chancellor Holden Thorp.

"I am honored and privileged to be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. Let me say that again, I am honored and privileged to be the head football coach at the University of North Carolina. I've got to say that over and over again so that it'll sink in."

Thorp felt as though Fedora was a great fit for the university, which is looking to move past the allegations and investigations of the Butch Davis era.

"Larry Fedora is going to be a great fit for North Carolina. When I met with him it was clear that he understands that we are committed to being competitive in football and to building a program that exemplifies Carolina’s values."

Fedora said that he was undaunted to be the person coming in to clean up the house, so to speak.

"To be honest with you, it didn’t scare me. I’ve got a saying that adversity, it’s going to happen and it brings out the best in all of us. But when it does, you look it in the eye, you grab it by the throat and you choke it. ... That’s what we’re going to do with whatever adversity comes up, now or in the future."

Fedora will receive annual retention bonuses ranging from $100,000 to $350,000 beginning in 2015, as well as a one-time payment of $400,000 in the first year and an annual expense allowance of $30,000.

Before taking over at UNC, Fedora will guide Southern Miss in the Hawaii Bowl against Nevada on December 24.

Fedora's first team at Southern Miss broke 36 school records. He had previously been an assistant on the collegiate level at Oklahoma State, Florida, Middle Tennessee, Air Force and Baylor.

North Carolina finished 7-5 this season under interim coach Everett Withers, who will lead the Tar Heels in the Independence Bowl against Missouri on December 26.

Keep up with SB Nation's comprehensive UNC Coaching Search Rumors Story Stream and Tar Heels blog, Carolina March, for the latest updates and fan perspective on the Tar Heels head coaching search. For all your college football needs, head to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Larry Fedora, New UNC Coach, Will Coach Southern Miss In Hawaii Bowl

Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora has officially been announced as the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The school has issued forth a release and everything, with an introductory press conference scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. 

Interesting note: Fedora will still coach Southern Miss in the Hawaii Bowl. Practice and prep for that game will take away from recruiting time, but have you ever tried to deny a man a trip to Hawaii? You haven't and shouldn't.

A little UNC reaction via Carolina March, from earlier in the week:

Fedora's teams at Southern Miss have had high octane offenses, with the defense typically lagging. He's also gone his entire career with one primary starting quarterback, Austin Davis, with the exception of six games he was out with a foot injury. The rushing defense was typically strong than the secondary, but this is the first season they've done a good job of limiting their opponent's scoring.    

AD Bubba Cunningham, from the release:

"We identified and spoke to a number of highly qualified coaches and the person whom we believe is the best to lead the Carolina football program forward is Larry Fedora," says UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham. "We share great expectations for the potential of Carolina football and we are excited that he has agreed to be our next head coach.    

Keep up with SB Nation's comprehensive UNC Coaching Search Rumors Story Stream and Tar Heels blog, Carolina March, for the latest updates and fan perspective on the Tar Heels head coaching search. For all your college football needs, head to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Larry Fedora, UNC Football Reach Agreement, According To Report

Larry Fedora and the North Carolina Tar Heels have reportedly reached an agreement for the current Southern Miss Golden Eagles head coach to take the same position with the Tar Heels. Fedora has been linked with the job several times in the past few days, but it seems that a deal is now all but official.

Fedora reached an agreement in principle with the Tar Heels to be next head coach, according to a tweet from the always excellent Bruce Feldman. Feldman reports that his source told him the deal was agreed to early Wednesday morning, meaning an announcement could be on its way shortly.

The Tar Heels job isn't an exceptional one, but as SB Nation's Bill Connelly notes, it's probably a step up from the head job at Southern Miss.

Five-Year F/+ Avg: +7.3% (35th)
Five-Year Record: 35-28
All-Time Record: 602-470-48
Five-Year Attendance Average: 57,065 (Capacity: 60,000)

Fedora, who led Southern Miss to an 11-2 record this season, apparently was chosen over Gus Malzahn, Everett Withers and possibly Skip Holtz -- though the latter denied those rumors.

Keep up with SB Nation's comprehensive UNC Coaching Search Rumors Story Stream and Tar Heels blog, Carolina March, for the latest updates and fan perspective on the Tar Heels head coaching search. For all your college football needs, head to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Larry Fedora Hired As UNC Football Coach, According To Report

The North Carolina Tar Heels have hired Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora to replace Butch Davis, according to the Winston-Salem Journal's Bill Cole. Fedora met with athletic director Bubba Cunningham Monday night, agreeing then to take the job, according to Cole's report. 

Fedora has been a frequent guest on many a coaching candidates list throughout the country, but his name took off after USM upset otherwise unbeaten Houston to win the Conference USA title. He's been connected with the Ole Miss and Texas A&M jobs at various points. If UNC is about to hire him, that probably means UCLA will now start targeting him. That was a joke.

Cole reports the deal could be announced shortly.

Keep up with SB Nation's comprehensive UNC Coaching Search Rumors Story Stream and Tar Heels blog, Carolina March, for the latest updates and fan perspective on the Tar Heels head coaching search. For all your college football needs, head to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Larry Fedora To Be Named North Carolina Head Coach, According To Reports

Larry Fedora is expected to accept the head coaching job at North Carolina, according to multiple reports, including CBSSports.com, which lists a host of confirmations.

Fedora is the head coach at Southern Miss, which he led to an 11-2 campaign this season, capped by a surprise win in the Conference USA championship game against previously undefeated Houston.

No official announcement has been made. Gatorsports.com's Pat Dooley tweeted, "My source tells me Larry Fedora is new North Carolina coach. That's great for him. Good fit as well." But followed up that report by saying it wasn't a done deal:

I know this -- as of this morning, Fedora did not have an offer from NC. He also interviewed at A&M. He's from College Station. So we'll see. Hmm, sounds like Fedora to NC not a done deal. They want him, but will A&M offer? His dad is still a barber in College Station.

Ah, the old "Dad is still a barber" hang-up. Classic.

Keep up with SB Nation's comprehensive UNC Coaching Search Rumors Story Stream and Tar Heels blog, Carolina March, for the latest updates and fan perspective on the Tar Heels head coaching search. For all your college football needs, head to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.

Gus Malzahn Candidate At Kansas In Addition To UNC, According To Report

Auburn Tigers offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn has been the popularly reported candidate for the North Carolina Tar Heels job for some time now, but according to ESPN's Joe Schad, you can add the Kansas Jayhawks as contenders for his services.

@schadjoe Auburn OC Gus Malzahn has emerged as a very strong candidate at Kansas and is still a possibility at North Carolina    

There are clear pros and cons to both of those jobs. UNC offers large-school resources and solid recruiting opportunities in a winnable conference, but the NCAA is still about to come crashing down on the Heels. KU would mean the chance to completely re-do a BCS program in the image of Malzahn, but support for football isn't anywhere near as great a priority in Lawrence as it is elsewhere in the Big 12. 

If he turned down the Vanderbilt job, what would make the Kansas gig different?

For more Malzahn's quest, please visit UNC blog Carolina March and Kansas blog Rock Chalk Talk, plus Auburn blog Track Em Tigers. 

Gus Malzahn Interviews For North Carolina Job, According To Report

Auburn Tigers talent Gus Malzahn has interviewed for the pending North Carolina Tar Heels head coaching job, according to pay site Auburn Undercover -- Charles Goldberg has confirmation and the details. (LOOK AT THAT PART ABOUT TROOPER TAYLOR BEING "IN THE MIX" AT TULANE, WOULD YA?)

Malzahn is as highly regarded as assistants come despite a 2011 downturn at Auburn. Some have noted his offense slowed down a tad this year, which suggested he might be losing control of his own side of the ball. 

The UNC job offers all the resources it chooses to offer -- ommmmmm -- as the school has the money and prestige to compete in football. New athletic director Bubba Cunningham is looking to make a splash. Cunningham and Malzahn have ties already, having worked together at Tulsa before hitting the Southeast.

For more North Carolina's coaching search, please visit UNC blog Carolina March and Auburn blog Track Em Tigers. 

UNC Football Coaching Search: Everett Withers Formally Interviews

North Carolina Tar Heels interim head coach Everett Withers formally interviewed for the head coaching position on Wednesday, according to Joe Schad.

Withers has led the Tar Heels to a 7-5 record on the season. He replaced Butch Davis, who was fired on July 27.

Prior to taking over as head coach, Withers was hired as North Carolina's defensive coordinator in 2008. He was a DC for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2007 and an assistant with the NFL's Tennessee Titans and college football's Texas Longhorns and Louisville Cardinals.

Withers previously said he's had a lot of fun coaching the team through the remainder of the season.

"It’s been a blast. It really has. They didn’t bat an eye one bit...I didn’t know how they would react initially, but they just kind of came to work. Once we got three or four days into it, it was like, ‘OK, here we go.’ As coaches, we had to respond because they did. Again, I’m as proud of this football team as any that I’ve ever been on."

For more North Carolina's coaching search, please visit Carolina March.

Now Hiring: Ranking The Country's Newly Available College Football Coaching Jobs

Black Sunday added quite a few programs to the "Now Hiring" list. Let's catch up on both the strength of each program and who they might try to hire.

Skip Holtz Denies North Carolina Coaching Candidate Rumors

Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson reported in the past week that South Florida Bulls coach Skip Holtz has emerged as a surprise candidate for the upcoming North Carolina Tar Heels job. It's been reported, message boards have fluttered, and now Holtz has denied it to TBO.com. The circle of life, the coaching carousel.

Here's Holtz:

"I have not talked to anybody," Holtz said. "It is this time of year when speculation goes on everywhere, who's going to take what job. I have not talked to anybody about the North Carolina job.

"I've got my head in my dungeon here trying to do what we have to do to find a way to win. I think we have that obligation to this senior class and to the underclassmen as we're trying to build the program. I'm excited about what we're building here. I'm excited about the progress we're making. I'm excited about the team I'm coaching here."

USF is 5-5 with a chance at a bowl game if it can sour Louisville's or West Virginia's Big East chances. 

For more on the parties involved, see UNC blog Carolina March and USF blog Voodoo Five.

Guz Malzahn To Ole Miss, Skip Holtz To UNC? Interest High, According To Report

The two biggest coaching positions available, presuming Urban Meyer to Ohio State, are the Mississippi Rebels and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Well, UNC isn't open yet, but a new athletic director isn't going to hang on to an interim coach. Auburn Tigers assistant had been hotly rumored to Carolina, but wait:

@CharlesRobinson Talked w/ heavy hitter in coach representation. Says Gus Malzahn is favoring Ole Miss, & UNC is locking onto Skip Holtz.    

That's Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports fame, so we'll go ahead and peg Malzahn and South Florida Bulls coach Holtz as the favorites at those positions. Doesn't mean they'll end up with those jobs, but it is interesting.

Malzahn has been the favored acquisition of Ole Miss fans since before Houston Nutt was fired. He'd been loosely attached to the UNC job, but Ole Miss may be willing to pay more. Houston Nutt was making slightly more than Butch Davis was, but Malzahn's price tag (he reportedly turned down a $3 million-per-year offer from Vanderbilt) could've put him out of the reach of the Heels' football budget. Openly speculating all over the place.

For more on these schools, visit Ole Miss blog Red Cup Rebellion and UNC blog Carolina March.

Gus Malzahn To North Carolina Rumors Have Hit Spousal Twitter-Monitoring Stage

Is North Carolina trying to land Auburn assistant Gus Malzahn?

Bubba Cunningham Hired As New North Carolina Athletic Director

The North Carolina Tar Heels have made official the successor of outgoing athletic director Dick Baddour, with the school's Board of Trustees voting to hire Tulsa's Bubba Cunningham. His contract will begin Nov. 14 at $525,000 per year plus bonuses and run through 2017.

Cunningham spent six years at Tulsa after leaving Ball State. Under his watch, the Golden Hurricanes transitioned from the WAC to Conference USA. He also probably never saw his football program run afoul of like the entire NCAA rule book all at once, which helped him win favor in Chapel Hill. I'm guessing on that last part.

He'll have a fine little mess to clean up on the football side, but he'll also oversee one of the country's biggest basketball programs and have a strong academic heritage to uphold. Don't be astounded to see Clemson Tigers offensive coordinator Chad Morris' name emerge as a potential UNC football coaching candidate ... Tulsa connections abound.

For more, visit UNC blog Carolina March.

UNC Set To Hire Tulsa AD Bubba Cunningham, According To Report

Trustees for the University of North Carolina will meet on Friday to approve the hiring of current Tulsa athletic director Bubba Cunningham as UNC's next AD, according to sources.

If and when he is approved, Cunningham would replace Dick Baddour, who is stepping down after 14 years amid the ongoing NCAA investigation into the football program. According to Chancellor Holden Thorp, Baddour would remain on at least until the school's appearance before the NCAA infractions committee on Oct. 28.

Since arriving in Tulsa in 2005, Cunningham has overseen a Golden Hurricane athletics program that has won 34 Conference USA championships and a successful football program. The school has made millions in renovations and construction on new athletics complexes on his watch.

Cunningham is a Notre Dame graduate with a master's degree in business administration. He spent 15 years working in various roles at Notre Dame before a stint as athletic director at Ball State.

For more on the Tar Heels, head over to Carolina March.

Mike Leach Job Watch: Scouring The Seas For A Worthy Vessel

If Urban Meyer or Jon Gruden aren't listed as candidates for your school's vacant (or soon-to-be vacant) coaching job, then a certain famous pirate probably is. Let's look at the openings that could await Mr. Swing Your Sword this winter.

North Carolina Names Defensive Coordinator Everett Withers Interim Coach

In the wake of the puzzlingly timed firing of Butch Davis, UNC has officially named defensive coordinator Everett Withers as the interim head coach. 

In a bizarre twist, Athletic Director Dick Baddour was part of the decision to appoint Withers, despite announcing earlier today that he would step down when his contract expires. Add in this nugget from SB Nation's Tar Heel blog, Carolina March...:

Chancellor Thorp will seek a replacement as soon as possible, with Baddour staying on primarily to deal with the ongoing NCAA investigation. Baddour will have little to no input on the hiring of the next permanent football coach.

...and this whole thing just went from puzzling to bizarre to...whatever is stranger than bizarre. What's more, it's being reported that UNC has found an interim AD, to which the UNC announcement makes no reference. Here's the money quote from Withers:

"I'm excited for this opportunity and I'm honored the Chancellor and Dick Baddour have faith in me to do this job."     

It bears mentioning that Withers wasn't hired by Davis, so university officials probably feel as if they're taking the team in a more reputable direction with this move.

For more on the Tar Heels, check out Carolina March

UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour To Step Down

Dick Baddour has been through a lot this week, as the North Carolina athletic director is already juggling logistics and a media firestorm following the firing of UNC football coach Butch Davis. At a press conference Thursday morning, Baddour announced that he will be stepping down as well once his contract as up.

Baddour, the school's athletic director for over a decade, will remain in university employ through next summer. His AD duties will end much sooner, however, according to SB Nation Blog Carolina March.

Chancellor Thorp will seek a replacement as soon as possible, with Baddour staying on primarily to deal with the ongoing NCAA investigation. Baddour will have little to no input on the hiring of the next permanent football coach.

The exit announcement was a dry affair, although Thorp dropped one rather interesting quote at the press conference, saying "I am very very reluctantly accepting Dick's offer to step down sooner," according to Brett McMurphy.

Stay tuned to this UNC football investigation StoryStream, and keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

Butch Davis 'Shocked' At Firing, And We Can Hardly Blame Him

UNC: Butch Davis Fired 'To Restore Confidence In University'

Minutes after reports first broke, the University of North Carolina has confirmed the firing of Tar Heels football head coach Butch Davis. In a statement, the school confirms that black marks on its "academic integrity" drove the move, while also confirming that HEY FOOTBALL STARTS LIKE REALLY SOON.

Chancellor Holden Thorp on the firing of coach Davis:

To restore confidence in the University of North Carolina and our football program, it's time to make a change. What started as a purely athletic issue has begun to chip away at this University's reputation. I have been deliberate in my approach to understanding this situation fully, and I have worked to be fair to everyone involved. However, I have lost confidence in our ability to come through this without harming the way people think of this institution. Our academic integrity is paramount and we must work diligently to protect it. The only way to move forward and put this behind us is to make a change.

Athletics and football are an important part of this University, and a successful football program is essential to the overall health of our athletic program. That's why we have to put this behind us and move forward.   

And here's athletic director Dick Baddour:

I want to thank Butch Davis and his family for their four-plus years of service and dedication to the University and the Chapel Hill community. My staff and I will work with Chancellor Thorp to transition to an interim head coach as soon as possible. It is critical that we do all we can to help our students and other staff members on the football team since preseason training camp begins in just eight days.    

Stay tuned to this UNC football investigation StoryStream, and keep an eye on Butch Davis and the North Carolina football program over at Carolina March.

UNC's NCAA Notice Of Allegations Document: Ineligible Athletes Played Multiple Seasons

The North Carolina Tar Heels have finally unveiled the NCAA's Notice of Allegations, which details just how far and deep into Chapel Hill these various intertwining scandals go. The answers: very, and very. You can click to review the entire document here, which includes many pages of guidelines on how UNC should respond to the allegations, but here's the gist of it.

Carolina football has been accused of violating NCAA bylaws 10.1, 10.1-(b), 10.1-(c), 10.1-(d), 11.1.4, 11.2.2, 12.1.2.1.6, 12.3.1.2 ... and so on. As Stewart Mandel has noted, Butch Davis' program has pretty much touched 'em all. In the very first paragraph is the line:

As a result of the academic fraud, [redacted] competed while ineligible during the 2009 and 2010 football seasons, and [redacted] competed while ineligible during the 2008 and 2009 football seasons.

The notice spans everything from a player getting a little too much help with a works-cited page for an African studies course in November 2008 to tutor Jennifer Wiley paying for player airfare and parking tickets and over $27,000 finding its way into player pockets by way of Gary Wichard, Todd Stewart and others. Current New York Giants WR Hakeem Nicks is named in that group, and former coach John Blake has a section all to himself.

The table of impermissible monetary benefits breaks all the way down to $5 violations. Yikes.

The only good news for Heels fans: the department as a whole wasn't hit with a Lack of Institutional Control charge -- apparently since Roy Williams runs a relatively tight ship, I guess -- but this is about as widespread as it gets while being contained in just one program. This story has been going on forever, and yet it's only getting started. Wheeeee!

UNC Announces Most Obvious NCAA Inquiry In Recorded Human History

In June of 2010, the NCAA made the University of North Carolina aware of possible illegal benefits violations among members of the Tar Heels football team. In July of 2010, we giggled at barely-there reports of NCAA investigators questioning players. In September of 2010 we wat in the Georgia Dome and watched a gutted UNC team down 13 players very nearly knock off LSU in the highest-profile game of college football's 2010 opening weekend. And on Tuesday, June 7, 2011, the university announced the receipt of a notice of inquiry by the NCAA. Not a notice of allegations, mind. Just a notice that the NCAA thinks, officially, that something might be amiss:

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina announced Tuesday it has received a notice of inquiry from the NCAA pertaining to its football program. The letter is a formal declaration of an investigation into the program, which originally began in June, 2010.
[...]
"The notice of inquiry is a formal notification from the NCAA that they have been reviewing our football program," said UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour. "We have been working with the NCAA and cooperating with them on this investigation. We are committed to the process and will continue to cooperate."

For an impression of just how much has transpired since the NCAA's initial foray into Chapel Hill, peruse the rest of this StoryStream. The scope of events is just staggering: A second, academics-related investigation came to light. A third case, featuring defensive end Quinton Coples, was announced just a few weeks ago. Two players were ruled permanently ineligible. Four players have left the program just this spring. Marvin Austin, the original investigative centerpiece, was the Denver Broncos' second-round draft pick. The state government got involved. The coach in the eye of the case resigned, and the agent being fingered for ethics violations up and died. And Butch Davis banned Twitter, and still has a job. We stand in awe of this rich human tapestry of events.