Mack Brown’s new coaching staff at North Carolina will have a very familiar feel.
Brown is hiring at least two of his former assistants, including Greg Robinson, who will be the Tar Heels’ defensive coordinator and play caller, sources tell ESPN.
Robinson, 67, twice served as a defensive assistant on Brown’s staffs at Texas, most recently in 2013. He was the head coach at Syracuse from 2005 to 2008 before becoming Michigan’s defensive coordinator under Rich Rodriguez in 2009. He last coached at San Jose State in 2015.
Tim Brewster, a standout recruiter who worked with Brown at both North Carolina and then Texas, will come from Texas A&M, where he coached tight ends.
Brown will retain UNC linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen in a co-defensive coordinator role. Thigpen played for Brown with the Tar Heels and was an All-ACC linebacker and team captain. He joined the UNC staff before the 2018 season after five years at Tennessee.
Brown also is hiring Dre Bly — another of his former Tar Heels stars — as cornerbacks coach, according to a source. Bly played 11 seasons in the NFL and was set to coach defensive backs for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football, but instead will reunite with Brown in Chapel Hill.
Football Scoop first reported Brown’s coaching staff moves Thursday.