Arthur Smith will not be North Carolina’s next head coach.

According to NFL.com, the former Atlanta Falcons coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator has taken himself out of the running for the job. A North Carolina alum, Smith had been in preliminary contact with UNC administrators.

The school announced last week that it was firing coach Mack Brown at the end of the season. North Carolina lost 35-30 to rival NC State on Saturday to drop to 6-6 on the season. After the game, NC State players tried to plant a flag on the North Carolina logo at midfield and Tar Heels players didn’t take too kindly to that. Flag planting was a theme on Saturday.

Brown had said that he planned to to return for the 2025 season after North Carolina was blown out by Boston College in Week 13. A day later, North Carolina announced that the longtime coach would not be retained for the 2025 season. Brown coached Saturday’s loss, a game that will be his final one with the school. Brown said afterward that he would not coach in whatever bowl game the Tar Heels play in.

Smith, 42, is in his first season as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator following his stint as the Falcons’ head coach. He coached the Falcons for three seasons after serving as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans from 2011-2020. He got his coaching start with North Carolina as a graduate assistant in 2006.

Depending on how the coaching carousel shakes out, North Carolina could be the biggest job that opens up ahead of the 2025 season. The Tar Heels were the first power conference team to make a head coaching move and UCF is the only outer power conference program with a head coaching opening as of Sunday morning. Saturday night, Knights coach Gus Malzahn resigned to reportedly take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State.

Mack Brown’s rollercoaster week came to a bitter end as North Carolina fell to in-state rival NC State, 35-30, on Saturday. Brown, recently dismissed as the Tar Heels’ head coach, spoke candidly about his frustrations with how the situation was handled by the university administration.

“All I wanted to do was wait until the end of the year,” Brown explained, according to On3. “And they wanted me to retire on Monday, before the (NC) State game. We haven’t beaten State—it was really important for these kids to play well and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to break their hearts on Monday. So I said, ‘No, I won’t do that.’ And then they wanted me to do it Friday. Well, I sure wasn’t going to do it Friday before the game.”

Despite his protests, North Carolina opted to part ways with Brown ahead of the rivalry showdown, leaving the long-time coach disheartened by the timing.

The Tar Heels’ loss on Saturday only deepened the sting, as the team fought hard—and even harder afterward in an attempt to prevent the NC State players front planting their flag at midfield—but ultimately couldn’t overcome the Wolfpack.

Reflecting on the week, Brown expressed disappointment not only with his dismissal but also with the administration’s approach to the transition.

“As far as the he-said, she-said and the, what you’d call the ‘source close to the university,’ I don’t need any of that,” Brown stated. “There were three people that talked about this. And it was me, John Cryer, chairman of the board of trustees, and athletics director (Bubba) Cunningham. I never talked to the chancellor, didn’t have one conversation with him.”

While Brown acknowledged the need for new leadership, he felt the decision should have been delayed until the season’s end, citing the hardships his players had endured, including the death of teammate Tylee Craft.

“These poor kids have had so much turmoil in their lives,” Brown said. “I wasn’t thinking about me. I wasn’t thinking about my future. I was thinking about what’s best for these young people.”

Despite the challenges, Brown praised his players for rallying to earn wins against Virginia, Florida State, and Wake Forest before the NC State game. North Carolina will now begin its search for a new head coach.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — When you support small businesses this holiday season, you’re supporting entrepreneurs like Michael Bell.

“We’re really trying,” Bell told ABC11. “I have three kids and, you know, a mortgage and whenever people shop here.. you’re supporting the little guy.”

His record shop, Hunky Dory, officially opened in Raleigh Iron Works just last week.

“There’s a lot of work that, you know, I did to get into this spot,” he said. “99% of the things that you see in here were hung by me, built by me, moved by me.”

Seeing shopping come out for Small Business Saturday means the world to shop owners like him, especially as shoppers braved the cold.

Across the street, The Flourish Market is celebrating just a few weeks in their new location – opening their doors in time for the holiday season.

SEE ALSO | Wake County tourism report shows strong figures ahead of holiday stretch

This day holds extra meaning for their owner, Emily Grey.

“While people consider small business Saturday a celebration of small business owners, we really see it always as a celebration of our amazing community of customers who are truly the lifeblood of our business,” she said.

Raleigh Iron Works is filled with a growing number of local businesses and constantly hosts markets to support small shops and local food trucks.

Whether you made it out to support a small business on Saturday, or you plan to move forward as you find gifts for everyone on your lists – it means everything to small business owners in our community.

“I feel very sentimental because, without our community of customers, we wouldn’t be here–our community has seen us through some very, very tough years, and it is only because of them that we are still standing,” Grey said.

To learn more about Small Business Saturday in Raleigh, click here.

SEE ALSO | Durham breaks records in visitor volume and spending, annual report finds