Raised Expectations in Chapel Hill

When Butch Davis arrived at North Carolina, he had a platform installed at the practice field so he’d stand even taller when he spoke to reporters.

On Wednesday, he raised his profile a little higher.

North Carolina wanted a big-time football coach, and it got one in Davis. It also got what comes with that, as the Tar Heels pumped another $291,000 a year in Davis’ direction.

That Carolina would feel the need to do this after one year is odd. Davis was out of a job when the Heels gave him a seven-year contract worth $1.86 million per season. The Tar Heels have wanted to raise the impact of the program, and they have.

Only 48,857 fans attended Carolina games on average last season.

This year, with new enthusiasm for the program, that number has jumped to 58,500.

Davis has shown impressive polish. When Carolina women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell was on The Fan recently, she talked about how Davis helped the team line up a restaurant in Cleveland at the NCAA Tournament, and how he picked up the bill.

On Monday, he opened his news conference for the Duke game by congratulating the women’s field hockey team, and coach Karen Shelton, for winning the NCAA title.

Davis looks the part of a big-time coach, with his Carolina blue vests and cap. More significantly, he looks the part of a big-time coach with the way Carolina’s name keeps coming up with some of the top recruits in the country. The Tar Heels are at least in the hunt for the top linebacker (Arthur Brown of Kansas) and running back (Darrell Scott of California) in the country.

Whether they will land players like that remains to be seen, but the Heels haven’t been close on players of that level since Mack Brown a decade ago.

But the news about Davis on Tuesday should be read with two points of apprehension.

First, throwing money at a football coach doesn’t guarantee wins, as the University of Alabama is finding out.

North Carolina poured funding into facilities when Brown was there, but the program unraveled after he left.

Shouldn’t the wins come first and the money second?

Also, one gets the uneasy feeling that the demands from Davis aren’t going to end.

He wanted a huge contract to come to UNC, and got it.

He wanted big salaries for his assistants, and got them.

He wanted a platform to stand on, and got it.

He wants Kenan Stadium expanded, and he’ll get it.

Now he has a raise.

And the time for Davis to deliver is quickly arriving.