Davis, Heels deal not done yet

Coach's agent says media report wrong

The agent for Butch Davis told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that a deal to bring the former Miami Hurricanes and Cleveland Browns coach to North Carolina has not been finalized.

Earlier Wednesday, The Winston-Salem Journal reported UNC had reached a deal with Davis, citing unnamed sources.

But Davis' agent, Marvin Demoff, told The Observer that reports indicating that Davis has signed with UNC are inaccurate, and it will be next week before anything is "really going to happen."

"I think there's interest in both parties," Demoff said. "We look forward to continuing discussions with that, but there is no agreement."

Asked about The Winston-Salem Journal report, Steve Kirschner, UNC associate athletics director for communications, said, "There is no news to report on the coaching search today."

UNC General Counsel Leslie Strohm was asked by The N&O via e-mail Wednesday for any "contracts, documents or agreements that have been signed with Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis in regard to the football program at UNC," Strohm responded at 6:48 p.m.: "The University has no documents responsive to this request."

Davis, Demoff and UNC athletics director Dick Baddour did not return phone messages left by The N&O on Wednesday.

UNC is searching for a replacement for John Bunting, who was fired Oct. 22 but will coach the remaining three games of the season. He has three years and $858,600 left on his contract.

Signing the 54-year-old Davis -- who resigned from the Browns in 2004 and has worked for the NFL Network the past two seasons -- could be a coup for a program that has been to only one bowl game since 2001.

"What he's done is, he has prepared himself at every level, he has won at every level," said Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles, the former Razorbacks coach who made Davis a graduate assistant coach when the player blew out his knee as a freshman.

Broyles said Wednesday he didn't know whether Davis had been hired by UNC, but he said he thought Davis would be a good fit.

"I don't know how he can be better prepared than what he's been through," Broyles said. "If you wanted to write a sketch of a person, you'd do what he's done to be the ideal coach."

If Davis were to be hired before the end of the season, NCAA rules likely would prevent him from recruiting until Bunting's departure. Those rules state that only 10 full-time coaches are allowed to participate in games or recruit.