"I appreciate everything Chuck did to help us improve our defense last
season," said UNC head coach Butch Davis. "He has a great opportunity to return to the NFL and I wish him the best."
The Tar Heel defensive unit ranked 35th nationally in 2007 in total defense, including ranking 27th in the nation in pass defense. This was a stark improvement from 2006, where UNC's overall defense ranked No. 92 in the country.
"We are in the process of evaluating potential defensive coaching
candidates," Davis said. "There is no timetable for the hire as we search to find the
best person for the University of North Carolina. Finding someone who is
the right fit with our staff and players is my top priority."
UNC hired Pagano in Jan. 2007 from the Oakland Raiders, where he served as defensive backs coach for two seasons. Pagano coached the secondary and was special teams coordinator under Butch Davis at Miami from 1995-2000 and was Davis' secondary coach in Cleveland from 2001-04.