Bobby Petrino joins North Carolina as offensive coordinator for Bill Belichick

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) - Bobby Petrino was named North Carolina's new offensive coordinator for coach Bill Belichick on Friday.

Petrino joins the Tar Heels after spending the past two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, where he was also the interim head coach for the final seven games this season for the Razorbacks after Sam Pittman was fired.

"We are fortunate to add an elite coaching talent in Bobby to our staff," Belichick said. "He brings an extensive background and a proven record of success on offense at every level of football. Bobby has consistently built great offenses everywhere he has been, and we look forward to having him work with our program."

Petrino replaces Freddie Kitchens, who was let go by Belichick after the Tar Heels had one of the worst offenses in the country while going 4-8 in Belichick's debut. They ranked 118th in the Bowl Subdivision in scoring (19.3) and 129th in total offense (288.8 yards).

"This is an incredible opportunity to work with one of the best at a storied institution," Petrino said.

Arkansas this season ranked 15th nationally in total offense with 454.8 yards per game, and 23rd averaging 32.9 points a game. While the Razorbacks were 0-7 with Petrino as interim head coach, four of those losses were by three points or less with a defense that struggled all season. Petrino was also their head coach from 2008-11.

Petrino has a 119-63 record in 15 seasons as a college head coach. He twice was in that role at Louisville (2003-06 and 2014-18), and in between those stops was head coach for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons (2007), Arkansas (2008-11) and Western Kentucky (2013). He was also head coach at Missouri State from 2020-22, then the offensive coordinator for one season at Texas A&M before returning to Arkansas.