John Bunting is 25-41 in five-plus seasons at North Carolina and this year's 1-5 start has led to a few tremors. Will Carolina make a change at the head coaching position??? There are a lot of tentacles that hang off of that question. It would cost the school over $2 million to buy out Bunting and his staff's contracts.
The contract of UNC Athletic Director Dick Baddour was extended this summer to run through the 2009 season. He has 40 plus years of service at North Carolina and Baddour would rather have a root canal than have to fire the former Tar Heel linebacker.
Earlier this week, I spoke with the athletic director of a school outside the ACC who said he believed, and the talk among several coaches is, that Bunting would not be back at Carolina next season. But he also pointed out how difficult it could be to hire a proven, high profile coach at UNC. There has always been talk among football coaches that football plays second-fiddle to the big, blue basketball program at UNC. Some of the guys with whistles can't handle that. But there's no reason why Carolina football shouldn't be a consistent top 25 program. Remember, you don't have to make a BIG hire for it to be a GOOD hire.
Believe me, John Bunting is what's good in college athletics...he's loyal, a disciplinarian and treats people with respect. But is he a good college head football coach? I have joked that the worst win in Carolina football history was against Miami 2 years ago. It helped keep John Bunting afloat and sent Steve Spurrier to South Carolina. Whether you like him or not, Spurrier would have been an upgrade on the sidelines in Chapel Hill and yes, he was interested in the job.
