Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo is leaving for the same position at North Carolina, a source confirmed to SuperTalk. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic was the first to report the news.
Longo spent two seasons in Oxford, both of which saw the Rebels’ offense consistently rank near the top of the FBS in most major offensive statistical categories, including 7th in the country in yards per game, but the Rebels struggled mightily in the red zone in 2018. Ole Miss scored 27 touchdowns in 54 red zone trips and kicked 21 field goals.
Longo was hired by former head coach Hugh Freeze following the 2016 season that saw the program part ways with Dan Werner. Longo was reportedly exploring other opportunities and interviewed for the head coaching vacancies at Texas State and Massachusetts. He will join the staff of new Tar Heel head coach Mack Brown, who was hired on November 27 to replace Larry Fedora after a 2-9 season.
Ole Miss parted ways with defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff a day after the Egg Bowl and announced the hiring of Mike MacIntyre as defensive coordinator on Monday.
Werner’s name has surfaced as a possible replacement, which would mark his third stint in Oxford. Werner was hired in January of 2018 as quarterbacks coach for South Carolina under Will Muschamp after spending the 2017 season as an offensive analyst for Alabama.
We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
