Mack Brown adds former coaches, players to UNC staff

Mack Brown's new coaching staff at North Carolinawill have a familiar feel, as he has hired two former assistants and may name others.

Tim Brewster, a standout recruiter who worked with Brown at both North Carolina and Texas, will come from Texas A&M, where he coached tight ends. The hiring became official Friday

Brown also hired Dre Bly -- one of his former Tar Heels stars -- as cornerbacks coach. 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.

Tim Cross, who worked with Brown at Texas and was assistant head coach and defensive line coach at the Air Force Academy, will coach the defensive line.

Brown also retained 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.

Greg Robinson, who twice served as a defensive assistant on Brown's staffs at Texas, interviewed with North Carolina on Thursday, according to sources. Initially, sources indicated to ESPN that Robinson would be hired as UNC's defensive coordinator and playcaller, but another source told ESPN that no final decision has been made about the role and Brown could look elsewhere to fill the position.

Robinson, 67, worked under Brown at Texas in 2004 and 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.