Three years ago, entering Week 3, North Carolina was 1-1 and coming off a demolition of North Carolina A&T, the first of 11 straight wins for the Tar Heels on their way to the ACC title game. This year, entering Week 3, North Carolina is not good at football and head coach Larry Fedora is square on the hot seat, though a gigantic buyout could save his job.
In mid-July, after Fedora's media comments on the future of football, I asked, "Should (and will) Larry Fedora be fired?" I jumped the gun by even wondering if his job was in jeopardy because of the comments. I was wrong. However, his job is now actually in jeopardy because of a loss to one of the worst teams in the FBS.
On Saturday, North Carolina was obliterated, 41-19, by an East Carolina team coming off two straight three-win seasons and a loss to North Carolina A&T in the opener. The Tar Heels allowed 510 yards (including 220 rushing yards), committed seven penalties, didn't force a turnover and were 5-for-16 on third downs. It was a miserable performance vs. any team, let alone a team whose own head coach is on the hot seat.
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While North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham — or any others within the university's leadership — has said nothing to suggest Larry Fedora is on the hot seat, last year's five-win decline and this year's 0-2 start (they lost to Cal in Week 1) speak for themselves.
If North Carolina wants to fire Fedora, they'll pay a massive buyout of $14 million. That figure, instituted when he signed a contract extension in 2017, months after leading his team to the ACC title game, drops to $10.5 million after the 2019 season, $7 million after 2020 and $3.5 million after 2021.
