Sources with direct knowledge tell FootballScoop Mack Brown is hiring Greg Robinson to be North Carolina's defensive coordinator.
This will be Robinson's third tour of duty for Brown. He coordinated Brown's defense at Texas in 2004 and 2013.
This will be the second familiar name to join Brown's UNC staff, as former Texas staffer Tim Brewster left Texas A&M to re-join Brown on Wednesday.
In 2004, Robinson (along with Dick Tomey) was hired to re-vitalize the Texas defense and instantly succeeded, helping the Longhorns to a 12-1 season -- the one loss coming 12-0 to Oklahoma -- with a Rose Bowl victory.
That success led Robinson to the head coaching job at Syracuse, where he remained from 2005-08.
After two seasons at Michigan and one working with a high school program in California, Robinson returned to the game in 2013 after Brown fired Manny Diaz mid-season. Robinson helped turned the tide of the season, as Texas rebounded to play Baylor for the 2013 Big 12 championship in the final game of the regular season.
Brown resigned after the 2013 campaign, and Robinson would go on to spend the 2014-15 campaigns as the defensive coordinator at San Jose State.
Robinson has been out of the game for the past two seasons.
As always, stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.
Thursday afternoon update> Source tells FootballScoop former Tar Heel great Dre Bly is expected to join the staff as well, coaching corners.
Greg Robinson & Bly are in the building and expected to be through the hiring process today and once they have passed the NCAA test, both can begin making calls for Carolina.
Source tells FootballScoop Robinson will call the defense and will work with the linebackers. Tommy Thigpen, who was held over from Fedora's staff & who played for Mack at UNC, will remain safeties coach and is expected to have co-defensive coordinator title. Bly will coach corners. Brown and Robinson are working on filling the defensive line role.