North Carolina hires replacement for Gene Chizik

On Wednesday, North Carolina announced that defensive coordinator Gene Chizik would not return in 2024. He was sent packing after his defense ranked 95th nationally (one year removed from ranking 116th nationally).

Despite the parting of ways, North Carolina head coach Mack Brown praised Chizik on his way out the door.

“Gene Chizik is one of the best football coaches I’ve shared the sideline with during my 46 years of coaching,” Brown said in a statement, via 247Sports. “He’s a man of faith who worked tirelessly to provide the best coaching and mentorship he could to the young men he coached. We met extensively following the season, and despite the improvements from last season to this season, we mutually agreed that parting ways would be in the best interest of both he and the program.”

It didn’t take long for North Carolina and Brown to find a replacement.

On Friday, the Tar Heels announced that long-time collegiate coach Geoff Collins would be taking over as the program’s defensive coordinator.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Geoff Collins, his wife Jennifer, and their daughter Astrid to the Carolina football family,” Brown said. “Geoff is brilliant defensive mind, who has been successful at a number of different locations as both a head coach and a coordinator. His experience shows that he knows what it takes to lead the men in our program, and he’ll utilize that experience for the benefit of our defense.

“We were blown away when we interviewed Geoff. He was unbelievably prepared. He had watched all of our games, knew our personnel, and pinpointed the items he’d implement to improve our players and the defensive unit as a whole. I can’t wait to get Geoff and his family to Chapel Hill and get to work.”

Collins has 27 years of experience at the college level, including six as a head coach and 11 as a defensive coordinator. Most recently, he served as head coach at Georgia Tech (2019-2022) but was fired early in the 2022 season after compiling the worst winning percentage of any permanent Yellow Jackets head coach in team history (10-28).

Collins did not coach during the 2023 season.

“My family and I want to thank Coach Brown and the staff at UNC for presenting us with this opportunity,” Collins said. “I’ve long admired Carolina and know what a truly special place it is. I feel honored and am very excited to get to work with the high-quality student-athletes in Chapel Hill. This past year has been a very valuable experience personally, studying the game from a unique perspective, following the trends, and preparing for my next coaching position. I’m ready for this challenge. I’m excited for this challenge, and I can’t wait to get to Chapel Hill and get started.”

Collins is now tasked with fixing a broken defense and helping turn North Carolina back into a top-25 team.