Surprising candidate emerges for North Carolina football job | Sporting News

As the college football coaching carousel continues, one of the biggest Power 4 programs still with a vacancy is the North Carolina football job. Several noteworthy names have reportedly interviewed for the position.

Tulane’s Jon Sumrall was one of those names, though the Green Wave head coach reportedly turned down the job, according to The Athletic.

The biggest name in UNC’s coaching search remains former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. Belichick has reportedly had multiple interviews with the university, including one that lasted at least five hours, according to Adam Schefter.

Even Belichick himself acknowledged meeting with North Carolina officials during his weekly appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on Monday.

“I’ve had an opportunity to talk to Chancellor [Lee] Roberts,” Belichick said. “We’ve had a couple of good conversations. We’ll see how it goes.”

A new name has also emerged in the Tar Heels’ coaching search: former NFL head coach Steve Wilks, according to Pete Nakos of On3.

Like Belichick, Wilks is said to be weighing his options between the NFL and college football, which is why he has expressed interest in the UNC job.

Wilks has obvious ties to the state of North Carolina. He has had multiple stints with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL, including as defensive coordinator and interim head coach. This season, he worked at the college level as a special advisor for the Charlotte 49ers. He has also coached as a defensive assistant at Bowling Green, Notre Dame, and Washington.