North Carolina fired coach Larry Fedora on Sunday, following a second straight nine-loss season.
Athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement, “we appreciate all that Larry Fedora has done for us over the last seven years — coming to Carolina in the midst of an NCAA case and bringing stability to our football program when we most needed it.” Fedora’s current contract was set to run through 2022, and he has a buyout of just over $12 million.
Fedora went 45-43 in his seven years in charge and took the team to four straight bowl appearances. This season, UNC finished 2-9 after falling to NC State 34-28 in overtime Saturday. Fedora took over the team in 2012 and went 8-4 in Fedora’s first year. In 2015, UNC went 8-0 in ACC play before losing to top-ranked Clemson in the conference’s championship game and finishing 15th in both the AP and coaches polls.
Among the top candidates to replace Fedora are Memphis’ Mike Norvell, Troy’s Neal Brown, Appalachian State’s Scott Satterfield, North Texas’ Seth Littrell, Clemson co-offensive coordinator Tony Elliott, Maryland interim coach Matt Canada, Georgia defensive coordinator Mel Tucker and former Texas coach and current ESPN analyst Mack Brown.
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