The North Carolina Tar Heels are the North Carolina Tar Heels. That’s obvious, right? Well, to some, it’s a reminder that there are standards at UNC, and UNC has to deliver on those. Currently in the mix for a new head coach, the Tar Heels are in a position where they have to get this hire right.
While rankings don’t always mean much, The Athletic’s CJ Moore polled coaches across the sport, and UNC ended up being ranked as the second-best job in all of college basketball. It was only behind Duke.
“The mystique and aura surrounding Michael Jordan’s alma mater hasn’t faded a bit, as one of the most decorated programs in college hoops sits in the heart of college basketball country surrounded by some of the nation’s top young talent. Multiple coaches said being able to hop in a car and drive to recruit is a huge plus…
“History is huge, too: UNC has been to 21 Final Fours, more than any other program, winning three titles in the last 25 years (2005, 2009 and 2017). One of the most compelling arguments for why UNC ranked so high came from a mid-major head coach who pointed out that while Hall of Famer Roy Williams experienced tremendous success at both Kansas and UNC, he won three titles at UNC but couldn’t win any at KU (his Jayhawks finished runner-up twice during his stint in Lawrence).”
There are plenty of blue-blood programs, but not all of them are doing what UNC is. Being able to pitch guys on the history of a program, while it might not mean a lot nowadays due to NIL, is still a selling point.
This also goes to show that UNC should be more than fine with its coaching search. Many of the coaches polled, per Moore, stated that NIL was the biggest factor. If UNC is the No. 2 job to these guys, they must know a bit of what the university has.
“Many coaches surveyed said something along the lines of, “Whoever has the most money with NIL and rev-share — and it’s not me,” with the acknowledgment that those numbers likely will never all be known publicly. Still, we can assume all of the jobs listed below have significant financial support, which is what put them on this list in the first place,” he wrote.