I like the Mack Brown hire under certain conditions.
UNC football is at a weird spot. They are a program that should really be in a much better position than they are. They have the financial resources, the history, the desirable campus and location (near North Carolina's Triangle region), NC is a mildly warm recruiting hotbed, and the prestige and national exposure (large national fan base) that they should really be a bigger draw and have more success.
Now, I'm not saying they are ever going to be a Tier One school, they may not compete for National Championships yearly, or even ever, but explain to me why UNC can't become like Oklahoma State and be in the top 25 consistently, with the occasional top 10 finish? Their division in the ACC features: Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Duke, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. UNC has the potential to vault all those programs with the exception of Miami; but UNC should be right there at the top with Miami every year in the race to win the division and play for the ACC championship. That kind of success -- being ahead of the Dukes, Pittsburghs, Virginias, Virginia Techs, and Georgia Techs of the world, is not something that should be beyond the grasp of this program.
They need someone who can tap that potential. Yeah, Mack Brown isn't gonna be able to elevate UNC over ACC powerhouses Clemson or Florida State any time soon (at least while Dabo Swinney is at Clemson), but this isn't the SEC.
Mack Brown establishes credibility and direction to a program that has the untapped resources to be a low second tier program. If he can channel that, he won't need to return them to the days of finishing 10-1 like he did in the late 90's. Finishing more consistently 7-4, 8-3, makes this is a successful hire. And with the rumors that he's bringing back Gene Chizik and maybe even a hot OC like Kliff Kingbury, if he can establish the program as the "elder statesman" before turning it over to the young guy, that may be the edge UNC needs to permanently vault into a higher tier.