In the broader world of college football, Mack Brown is an institution, a coaching stalwart who has been on a sideline in some form nearly three times as long as many of his players have been alive.
Brown is in his 36th season as a college head coach, going all the way back to his debut (and ultimately only) season at Appalachian State in 1982. At 73 years old, he’s the oldest head coach in FBS football. Following Nick Saban’s retirement from Alabama after the 2023 season, he’s also the active leader in career wins in the sport, with 279 victories at the FBS level.
The most recent season of that decorated career, however, has raised questions about his future.
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Brown’s North Carolina team is off to a 3-1 start, but it’s currently reeling from a 70-50 loss to James Madison , a game in which the Tar Heels matched the most points they had ever allowed in a game in program history. Brown, who called his team’s showing “embarrassing,” had to refute a report that he told his players after the game that he was quitting.
In his second stint at North Carolina, where he previously coached from 1988-97, Brown has been generally successful. His teams have made a bowl game in each of his five seasons. In three of those seasons, the Tar Heels won at least eight games, including an Orange Bowl appearance at the end of the 2020 season.
Since Brown’s return, though, North Carolina has been routinely porous on defense and has failed to fully capitalize on some of the best quarterbacks in school history, most recently Drake Maye, whose teams never lost fewer than five games despite being led by a future No. 3 overall NFL draft pick.
With that have come concerns and questions about Brown and his place atop the program, particularly now that he’s in his mid-70s.
Heading into the Tar Heels’ rivalry matchup Saturday with an undefeated Duke team, here’s a look at Brown’s contract, buyout clause and how much he would be owed if North Carolina fired him:
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Mack Brown contract details
In February 2023, Brown signed a one-year contract extension with North Carolina that runs through January 2028.
It was the fourth time Brown’s contract had been amended since he initially signed in November 2018 to return to coach the Tar Heels.
Brown will be 76 years old when his current deal expires.
Under the terms of the contract, Brown receives a base salary of $900,000, $3.3 million in supplemental compensation from the university, $500,000 as part of the school’s multimedia rights agreement with Learfield Communications, $200,000 as part of the Tar Heels’ manufacturer agreement with Nike and a $100,000 “annual expense allowance” to be used for “entertainment and other appropriate purposes to advance the program.”
In all, Brown’s annual compensation comes out to $5 million.
Beyond that, he has several performance-based incentives in his contract. He makes $75,000 if North Carolina makes it to a bowl (which it has five times in his tenure) and $200,000 if it earns a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl (which it has once). He gets $200,000 for winning nine games and/or making the ACC championship game (both of which have happened once since he was hired in 2018). Additionally, Brown receives $100,000 for a top-15 finish in the final College Football Playoff rankings; $50,000 for a top-25 finish in the final playoff rankings; $100,000 if he wins national coach of the year; $50,000 if he’s named conference coach of the year; and $50,000 if his team has an academic progress rate (APR) score of at least 975.
Brown can’t earn more than $1 million in bonuses in a single season.
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Mack Brown buyout
In the event he’s fired without cause, Brown would be due an amount equal to the sum of any remaining unpaid base salary payments.
As of December 1, 2024, that figure would be $2,812,500.
Should Brown be the one to terminate the contract, North Carolina’s only financial obligation to the coach would be paying him any earned but unpaid base salary, bonuses and supplemental compensation as of the date Brown would have provided written notice of his decision.
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Mack Brown year-by-year record
Over his five-plus seasons in his second go-around with the Tar Heels, Brown has put together a record of 41-28. North Carolina has been ranked in the final US LBM Coaches Poll just once during his tenure, when it finished No. 17 at the end of the 2020 season.
Here’s a look at North Carolina’s year-by-year performance under Brown during his second go-around in Chapel Hill:
- 2019 : 7-6
- 2020 : 8-4
- 2021 : 6-7
- 2022 : 9-5
- 2023 : 8-5
- 2024 : 3-1
- Overall : 41-28
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Mack Brown North Carolina contract, buyout clause: Here's how much Tar Heels owe coach if fired
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