Well, this should be fun.
Bobby Petrino is expected to become the offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick's second season at North Carolina, according to a report Monday from On3. The 64-year-old offensive coordinator and the 73-year-old head coach have never worked together previously.
Petrino, of course, spent the past two seasons back at Arkansas as his former team's offensive coordinator, and finished the season as interim head coach following Sam Pittman's mid-season firing. Arkansas went 0-7 under the interim leadership of Petrino, and 9-16 in his return to Fayetteville.
The Hogs punched above their weight class offensively, though. Arkansas finished 10th nationally in yards per play (6.94) and averaged 32.9 points per game, 25th nationally. Quarterback Taylen Green finished 16th nationally in total offense, averaging 290.9 yards per game and 7.51 yards per play across 465 combined passes and rushes.
North Carolina will become the 10th school for which Petrino has called plays across a 40-plus year career, joining Carroll College, Idaho, Nevada, Utah State, Louisville, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Auburn, UNLV, Texas A&M and Arkansas. That's in addition to a 140-88 record as a full-time head coach for Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, Missouri State, and the Atlanta Falcons.
Petrino replaces Freddie Kitchens, who was not retained after one season on the job. North Carolina finished 120th nationally at 4.94 yards per play and 121st at 19.3 points per game. North Carolina went 4-8 on the season.
From Petrino's Arkansas bio:
Under Petrino’s guidance, Arkansas put up some of the greatest single-season offensive numbers in program history in 2024. The Hogs’ 5,973 yards of total offense is the fourth-best single-season mark in program history. Arkansas also ranked in the top five in the program single-season record books in rushing touchdowns (T-2nd, 34), total offense per game (4th, 459.5), passing first downs (4th, 150), passing yards (5th, 3,571) and passing yards per game (5th, 274.7). Petrino coordinated the Razorbacks to top 20 performances nationally in multiple categories including total offense (10th, 459.5), passing offense (18th, 274.7), passing yards per completion (10th, 14.00) and first downs (17th, 314). Arkansas also registered two top 10 all-time single-game total offense performances with 687 yards of total offense against UAPB for the third-most yards in a single game in program history and 673 total yards of offense in a win at Mississippi State, which ranks seventh on the list. In the win over UAPB, the Hogs’ offense went a perfect 10-for-10 scoring touchdowns on all 10 possessions in the season opener. Quarterback Taylen Green concluded the 2024 campaign with 3,756 (602 rushing, 3,154 passing, 23 TD) yards of total offense, good for second-most in a single season in program history behind only QB Ryan Mallett’s school-record mark of 3,795 (-74 rushing, 3,869 passing, 36 TD) in 2010 while becoming one of only five quarterbacks in program history to throw for 3,000-plus yards in a season.