North Carolina announced Tuesday that Mack Brown will not return next season, a day after the Hall of Fame coach declared his intention to return to the Tar Heels.

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham informed Brown of his decision on Tuesday. Brown, 73, will coach the team in Saturday’s regular-season finale against NC State, but no decision has been made yet on whether he will coach the Tar Heels (6-5) in their bowl game.

“While this was not the perfect time or way I imagined going out, it will never be the perfect time,” Brown said in a statement. “I spent 16 seasons at North Carolina and will always cherish the memories and relationships Sally and I built as head coaches.”

“We have had the opportunity to coach and mentor some great young men and we will miss the opportunity to do so in the future. Going forward, my entire focus will be on helping these players and coaches prepare for Saturday’s game against NC. “Say it and give them the best chance to win. We want to send these seniors out the right way and I hope our fans come out on Saturday to do the same.”

In two appearances at North Carolina, Brown went 113-78-1 overall. Brown, who won a national championship with Texas after his first tenure at UNC, returned to the Tar Heels in 2019 and appeared in an ACC championship game with them in 2022.

“Mack Brown has won more games than any other football coach in UNC history, and we deeply appreciate everything he has done for Carolina football and our university,” Cunningham said in a statement. “Over the last six seasons – his second season in Chapel Hill – he has led our team to six bowl picks, including an Orange Bowl, while also overseeing 18 NFL draft picks.

“…Coach Brown has brought the Carolina football program back into the national conversation by improving the program’s facilities, significantly expanding staff, investing in salaries and strengthening our nutrition, strength and conditioning programs. He has also been a dedicated fundraiser, strengthening the football foundation while supporting our other sports programs. We thank Coach Brown for his commitment to Carolina and wish him, Sally and their family all the best.

Brown ranks eighth all-time among FBS coaches with 288 wins and is the only coach with more than 100 wins at multiple FBS schools – 113 at North Carolina and 158 at Texas.

With Brown out, there are now two active FBS head coaches who have won a national championship: Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney.

When Brown finishes the season, Cunningham and Chancellor Lee H. Roberts will begin the search for a new head coach.

Brown has three years left on his contract, which will pay him $5 million annually. The school said the remainder of the contract will be paid by the UNC athletic department and not through state funds.

Tuesday’s announcement ends a month of speculation about Brown and his future at the school. After scoring a school-record 70 points in an embarrassing home loss to James Madison in September, Brown told the Tar Heels in the locker room that he would resign if the team felt he could no longer do the job. His comments became public and Brown was forced to announce that he would not be resigning.

From there, North Carolina lost three more games and then had to deal with the loss of receiver Tylee Craft, who died in October two and a half years after being diagnosed with cancer.

Brown said in a recent interview with ESPN that his perspective changed afterward. He believes the team needs him now more than ever “to step up and be strong and try to help them learn to navigate through these storms and turbulence.”

After three straight wins – including Brown’s first win over his alma mater, Florida State – North Carolina stumbled again last weekend at Boston College, losing 41-21.

That didn’t stop Brown from announcing during his weekly press conference Monday that he intended to return to North Carolina. However, he also said he has not yet met with Cunningham to discuss his long-term future.

“Not a single player has ever come to me and asked me about my future. Not a single coach has ever come to me and asked me about my future. That’s what happens this time of year,” Brown said Monday. “It’s really funny, now if you lose a game you get fired. It’s 100%, it’s incredible. So why worry, you just have to do your job.”

In 36 seasons as a head coach, Brown has amassed a 288-154-1 record. He began his head coaching career at Appalachian State in 1983, then led Tulane in 1985 and left for North Carolina after three seasons there. After consecutive 1-10 seasons, Brown transformed the Tar Heels program, bringing them nine or more wins four times. Texas hired him in 1998 and he won the Longhorns’ last national championship in 2005.

After leaving Texas in 2013 after 16 seasons there, Brown worked for a time as a television analyst at ESPN. After a five-year coaching hiatus, he returned to North Carolina to try to rebuild a stagnant Tar Heels program. During his most recent stint, he led North Carolina to the 2022 ACC Championship Game and helped Drake Maye become a first-round draft pick in 2024.

Big starts to the 2022 and 2023 seasons — including a climb to No. 10 in 2023 — ended in disappointment as Brown failed to get North Carolina to the 10-win mark. The 2024 season got off to a rough start when starting quarterback Max Johnson broke his leg in the opening game and was out for the season.

Still, the way Brown’s team responded to adversity and the death of their beloved teammate is something Brown told ESPN last week will always be remembered.

“It’s one of the most satisfying years I’ve ever had because of the way people react to each other,” Brown said before the Boston College game.