Mack Brown won’t return as head football coach at North Carolina in 2025, the school announced Tuesday.

The 73-year-old Brown will coach in Saturday’s regular-season finale against North Carolina State, though it has not yet been decided if he will stay on for any bowl game the Tar Heels (who are bowl-eligible at 6-5) might be invited to. According to the announcement issued by the school, athletics director Bubba Cunningham informed Brown on Monday that he was not being retained.

“Mack Brown has won more games than any football coach in UNC history, and we deeply appreciate all that he has done for Carolina Football and our University,’’ Cunningham said. “… Coach Brown has led the Carolina football program back into the national conversation as we improved the program’s facilities, significantly increased the size of the staff, invested in salaries and bolstered our nutrition and strength and conditioning programs. He also has been a dedicated fundraiser, strengthening the football endowment while also supporting our other sports programs.

“We thank Coach Brown for his dedication to Carolina, and wish him, (wife) Sally and their family all the best.”

Brown is 44-32 in his second stint at North Carolina, to which he returned in 2019 after six years as a college football analyst for ESPN. His best season in this go-round in Chapel Hill was a 9-5 record and ACC Coastal Division championship in 2022.

Brown flirted with the idea of stepping down following a 70-50 loss to James Madison in late September, but said as recently as Monday that he planned to return in 2025. However, it appears that decision has been taken out of his hands.

Brown issued the following statement following the announcement of his firing by North Carolina:

“While this was not the perfect time and way in which I imagined going out, no time will ever be the perfect time,” Brown said. “I’ve spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and will always cherish the memories and relationships Sally and I have built while serving as head coach. We’ve had the chance to coach and mentor some great young men, and we’ll miss the opportunity to do that in the future. Moving forward, my total focus is on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game vs. N.C. State and give them the best chance to win.”

North Carolina becomes the first Power 4 conference program to make a coaching change this season. The first 11 openings were all at the Group of 5 level, with only East Carolina — which promoted interim coach Blake Harrell to the permanent position on Monday — having hired its coach for 2025.

Brown was also Tar Heels head coach from 1988-97 — winning double-digit games three times — before leaving for Texas. He led the Longhorns to 158 wins and the 2005 BCS national championship in 15 seasons, but was forced out at the end of 2013.

In 35 seasons as head coach at Appalachian State, Tulane, North Carolina and Texas, Brown is 288-154-1.