Sources: North Carolina works toward hiring Bobby Petrino as OC

North Carolina And coach Bill Belichick is working toward hiring Bobby Petrino as the program’s next offensive coordinator, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.

Offensive coordinator was Freddie Kitchens Fired earlier this month After the Tar Heels finished 131st nationally in total offense (288.8 yards per game) in 2025.

Petrino, former head coach arkansasReturned to the Razorbacks in 2024, where he served as offensive coordinator for the last two seasons. He Took over as interim coach Sam Pittman was fired after the program on September 28. He has also served as head coach louisville, western kentucky And missouri state and nfl atlanta falcons,

UNC sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel there are still several steps left to take before any potential hires can be announced. No announcement is imminent and other candidates are engaged in the process.

Returning to the top job at Arkansas marks a complete turnaround for Petrino, who was fired by the Razorbacks in 2012 for misleading officials about an extramarital affair with an athletic department employee. Under Petrino’s leadership the Razorbacks went 0–7 this fall and finished 2–10, and arkansas hired memphis‘On November 30, Ryan Silverfield will be appointed its head coach.

The Tar Heels are trying to improve their offense in 2025 after a 4-8 seasonLast season only five FBS teams finished with fewer yards per game than North Carolina, which ranked 121st in scoring offense (19,3 ppg) and 124th in rushing (105,3) in Belichick’s first season at UNC,

under the kitchen, east cleveland browns The head coach, the Tar Heels, scored 15 points or less in six of their 12 games.

Petrino has built a reputation for managing struggling offenses throughout his career.

As head coach, he led Louisville from 2003 to 2006 before one season with the Falcons. At Arkansas, he went 21–5 over his final two seasons before being fired in December 2012.

Petrino to spend 2023 season as offensive coordinator Texas A&M Before joining Pittman’s staff at Arkansas in 2024. With Petrino’s call, the Razorbacks went from 107th to 10th nationally in yards per game last year (326.5 to 459.5). Despite going winless in its final 10 games in 2025, Arkansas closed the regular season ranked inside the top 25 nationally in both scoring (32.0 ppg), total offense (454.8 ypg) and rushing (191.9 ypg) among FBS programs.

Petrino’s previous two head coaches – Texas A&M’s Jimbo Fisher and Pittman – have each been fired within two seasons. If a deal is finalized, Petrino would arrive at North Carolina ahead of a crucial season under Belichick, who went 2-6 in ACC play in 2025.

The Tar Heels’ intention to hire Petrino was first reported by On3.