UNC football parts ways with cornerbacks coach, former standout player Dré Bly
Dre Bly, who starred at North Carolina as a player from 1996-98, will no longer be coaching at his alma mater, the school announced Wednesday.
Bly served as the Tar Heels’ cornerbacks coach the past four seasons. While Bly enjoyed a Hall of Fame career as a player, the production on the field for his group was not consistent.
Both starting cornerbacks — Tony Grimes and Storm Duck — entered the transfer portal after the season and will play for Texas A&M and Penn State, respectively.
Bly may be missed more for how successful he was as a recruiter. He was widely considered one of the best on staff.
“We all love Dre Bly and appreciate what he means to the University of North Carolina as a Hall of Famer, an unbelievable advocate for the program, and an excellent coach,” UNC coach Mack Brown said in a statement. “Dre and I mutually agreed to part ways so that he could explore other opportunities in the coaching profession. We appreciate everything he’s done for the program over the last few years and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Bly’s departure marks the third change to the coaching staff from last season. Brown hired Chip Lindsey as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach and Randy Clements as offensive line coach to replace Phil Longo and Jack Bicknell, who left to take similar positions at Wisconsin.
This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 2:17 PM with the headline "UNC football parts ways with cornerbacks coach, former standout player Dré Bly."