Two-time national recruiter of the year Larry Porter has been named the new running backs coach of the North Carolina football team, the team announced on Friday.
This is Porter’s second stint as running backs coach at UNC, the first lasting from 2014-16 under then-head coach Larry Fedora. He returns to Chapel Hill after a four-year stay at Auburn University, where he served various roles including tight ends coach, half back coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator.
His stint at Auburn saw success, with the Tigers playing in the 2018 Peach Bowl and Porter helping cornerback and return specialist Noah Igbinoghene get selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins after a standout 2019 season.
The 2020 campaign saw Porter nominated for the Broyles Award, given to the best assistant coach in college football.
“He'll be able to hit the ground running in recruiting because of his familiarity, and he brings a wealth of on-field coaching experience that will be valuable to the program,” head coach Mack Brown said a press release about the announcement. “We have a talented group of running backs on our roster and we expect Larry will bring out the best in them."
Porter also has previous experience with Brown, working under him in 2013 as the running backs coach of the Texas Longhorns. His last stint as a Tar Heel saw the team qualify for three consecutive bowl games and recruit future Tar Heels such as Michael Carter, Dazz Newsome and Jason Strowbridge.
“We had some success when I was in Chapel Hill last time, and you can see that the program is trending in the right direction,” Porter said. “I'm excited to help continue that momentum and hope to be an asset moving forward. We can't wait to get there and get going."
