SAD NEWS: UNC Football Staff, Sparky Woods is leaving.

Sparky Woods, a seasoned figure in college football with over 40 years of coaching experience, is leaving the North Carolina football coaching staff to explore new opportunities. Mack Brown, the head coach, confirmed the departure, expressing gratitude for Woods’ contributions during his five years with the Tar Heels.

Woods, 70, has held the position of senior advisor to the head coach since January 2019. His extensive coaching career includes head coaching stints at Appalachian State (1984-88), South Carolina (1989-93), and VMI (2008-14). Brown acknowledged Woods’ wealth of knowledge and experience, thanking him for his hard work and wishing him success in his future endeavors.

In a strategic move, Brian Simmons, a former UNC All-American linebacker, has been hired as a senior advisor to the head coach and pro liaison. Simmons, a 10-year NFL veteran and former NFL scout for eight years, will take over the senior advisor duties previously handled by Darrell Moody, a 75-year-old college coaching veteran, who is retiring.

Before joining the coaching staff at Chapel Hill, Woods served as the running backs coach and co-special teams coordinator at Richmond. Throughout his coaching career, he held prominent positions such as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State (1999-2002), Virginia (1997-98), Memphis (1995-96), and his alma mater, Appalachian State (1983).

Woods graduated from Carson-Newman in 1976, where he played quarterback and defensive back. He initiated his coaching career at Tennessee in the same year and subsequently coached at Kansas, North Alabama, and Iowa State before joining Appalachian State in 1983. Notably, he became the head coach at Appalachian State in 1984, succeeding Mack Brown when Brown moved on to become the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma.