Larry Fedora will be hired as North Carolina's next football coach, pending approval today by the UNC Board of Trustees in a 9 a.m. meeting in Chapel Hill, school athletics officials said Thursday.
Once approved, Fedora, the Southern Mississippi coach, will be introduced by North Carolina as its coach at 1 p.m. in a news conference in the Loudermilk Center at Kenan Stadium. The North Carolina trustees and the Board of Governors met Thursday in Chapel Hill to discuss Fedora's hiring.
He agreed Tuesday to take the job.
Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina's athletics director, made his first significant coaching hire since arriving at the school Nov. 14. He said he was pleased to have found a coach with Fedora's qualifications to take over a troubled program.
"Coach Fedora has a plan and a vision for the future of Carolina football that I strongly believe will make us successful on and off the field," Cunningham said in a statement released by the university.
"He has more than 20 years' experience in college football, has tremendous enthusiasm, understands the academic and character values that are important to the University of North Carolina, is committed to fully developing the student-athletes who are under his charge and has the ability to excite both our fans and prospective student-athletes."
Fedora, 49, has been at Southern Mississippi for four seasons. It was his first job as a head coach. The Golden Eagles are 11-2 this season after knocking off previously unbeaten Houston in the Conference USA championship game.
Southern Mississippi has gained a school-record 6,123 yards in total offense this season. Fedora is 33-19 at the school, and Southern Mississippi will play in its fourth consecutive bowl game Dec. 24, the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.
"We identified and spoke to a number of highly qualified coaches, and the person whom we believe is the best to lead the Carolina football program forward is Larry Fedora," Cunningham said.
"We share great expectations for the potential of Carolina football, and we are excited that he has agreed to be our next head coach."
Fedora will succeed Butch Davis as the Tar Heels' full-time coach. Davis was fired in July after the program was the subject of two investigations, one by the NCAA for improper contact with sports agents, and the other by the university for academic impropriety involving a tutor.
Davis went 28-23 in four seasons at Chapel Hill.
Everett Withers, the defensive coordinator for Davis, was the team's interim coach this season. He led the Tar Heels to a 7-5 record and a berth in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl on Dec. 26 in Shreveport, La.
Cunningham said Withers will coach the Tar Heels in their bowl game.
"I especially want to thank Coach Withers, who did an outstanding job in leading the football program this year," Cunningham said. "Everett is an excellent football coach and a first-class individual.
"He and his staff provided exemplary leadership under trying circumstances, and I am glad they were rewarded with an opportunity to play in a bowl game."
Fedora will take over a football program facing an uncertain future. North Carolina is awaiting word whether additional penalties will be imposed by the NCAA for nine major rules violations in Davis' time.
North Carolina applied self-imposed penalties before meeting with the NCAA Committee on Infractions in late October. Among the penalties: Three scholarships will be forfeited for three consecutive years starting in the 2012-13 academic year.
Chancellor Holden Thorp of North Carolina said he is confident that Fedora can build a strong program with a reduced number of scholarships.
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