Mack Brown North Carolina contract, buyout clause: Here’s how much Tar Heels owe coach if fired…

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.

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