Forbes ?? Candidate for SC

unctar2001

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Aug 1, 2025
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Ok- story... I have a connection who is a student at SC and this student has (and is currently) interned with various sports programs at SC. I saw the forbes thread on thursday and while I knew he was never leaving UNC, I texted "my source" and said... "There is talk on IC about Forbes and SC". Said student responded... "I was told we're hiring the Coastal coach". This was last Friday.

This is why I posted what I did. My "source" was wrong- in that they had not in fact hired him yet. But the point of the post was to clarify that... while some fans were talking about Forbes, SC had already given up on Forbes before the news had even been posted that they were interested in him last Thursday. Forbes was never anything more than ONE "reach out from SC" that ended very quickly.
Pretty much the, we have to at least contact Brad Stevens bit
 
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cc4unc

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Jul 31, 2025
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I didn’t realize that a former UNC baseball equipment manager was now a deputy executive AD at South Carolina and was involved enough in this search that Schnall thanked him in his opening statement today. I knew Holbrook had hired him down there but I didn’t know he’d survived through all the baseball changes and moved his way up the AD.
Tyson Lusk is how they made the connection with Forbes.
 

CoopCupp

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Nov 6, 2010
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SC fans are more delusional than NC State fans. They actually think Forbes was never offered & Schnall was always their #1 choice.
 

THEChapelthrill

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With all due respect, you’re making a lot of assumptions without being in on how this went down.



This was much closer to going sideways than many will probably ever know. Glad it worked out. The baseball family put on the full court press and the staff is going to get a well deserved reward.
Just like I barely give a rat's ace about football now, and basketball is barely hanging on in my fandom world by a string... if we lost Forbes to a now bad program in greenville SC for a 10% price difference or something similar, I would be on my way out the door as a UNC baseball fan too. If Globe (a kid we signed a gave a chance to play early, developed already into one of the best pitchers in the nation, who is on a team that has been or is the odds on favorite to win the CWS in the last week or two) leaves for more money (as it clearly won't be for a better chance to win), it will erode that same baseball fandom. Baseball was my last enjoyable major college sport in this terrible ridiculous NIL/ Portal era. But if either of those things would/ happen it will be similar to my feelings with football and basketball. Guess it's no stab at UNC/ admin... just the current landscape. And this coming from someone who has two degrees from UNC and lived in Avery while on campus and watched games from my balcony.

Really hope they can capitalize this year... afraid it may be one of the last ones I can fully enjoy.
 
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THEChapelthrill

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Obviously Forbes didn’t take the job and then walk it back. But my point is that Coach Forbes was seriously considering taking the job based on what I know. There were many on this board that kept arguing that Forbes would never leave for SC and that he was not even considering it. But that is just not true. He was a lot closer to leaving than most here think.
If he was indeed that close and had a foot out the door, then I'd be just as disappointed in him as possible. ALL of the things he's done and said while here, and what he's said it means to him at every single step, the depth of his roots here, the fact that UNC may be the BEST program in the last 20 years (no chance it's to leave for better chances to win)... it would have ultimately been a lie and he would have just chased a bit more money. And that would have been hugely disappointing and par for the course during this NIL/ Portal era of "college" sports where there is NO LOYALTY. I mean, he just signed a new contract less than 3 months ago! I guess I don't have to process that since he didn't go... but I'm disappointed somewhat as is, IF what you say is true about how CLOSE he was.
 
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premn

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Aug 1, 2025
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If he was indeed that close and had a foot out the door, then I'd be just as disappointed in him as possible. ALL of the things he's done and said while here, and what he's said it means to him at every single step, the depth of his roots here, the fact that UNC may be the BEST program in the last 20 years (no chance it's to leave for better chances to win)... it would have ultimately been a lie and he would have just chased a bit more money. And that would have been hugely disappointing and par for the course during this NIL/ Portal era of "college" sports where there is NO LOYALTY. I mean, he just signed a new contract less than 3 months ago! I guess I don't have to process that since he didn't go... but I'm disappointed somewhat as is, IF what you say is true about how CLOSE he was.
I mean he would have brought all of his people
 

Digital

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Aug 1, 2025
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Just like I barely give a rat's ace about football now, and basketball is barely hanging on in my fandom world by a string... if we lost Forbes to a now bad program in greenville SC for a 10% price difference or something similar, I would be on my way out the door as a UNC baseball fan too. If Globe (a kid we signed a gave a chance to play early, developed already into one of the best pitchers in the nation, who is on a team that has been or is the odds on favorite to win the CWS in the last week or two) leaves for more money (as it clearly won't be for a better chance to win), it will erode that same baseball fandom. Baseball was my last enjoyable major college sport in this terrible ridiculous NIL/ Portal era. But if either of those things would/ happen it will be similar to my feelings with football and basketball. Guess it's no stab at UNC/ admin... just the current landscape. And this coming from someone who has two degrees from UNC and lived in Avery while on campus and watched games from my balcony.

Really hope they can capitalize this year... afraid it may be one of the last ones I can fully enjoy.
I don’t disagree brother - I am just trying to take the enjoyment where I can find it

I would have been beside myself if had Forbes left, particularly with what we are paying Belichick and Lombardi. Look, I understand why we invest in football (setting aside the issue of where specifically we invest it) but there’s no comparison as which program I’ve gotten more satisfaction from following in the last couple of decades
 
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Mahler19

Heisman
Dec 10, 2009
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If he was indeed that close and had a foot out the door, then I'd be just as disappointed in him as possible. ALL of the things he's done and said while here, and what he's said it means to him at every single step, the depth of his roots here, the fact that UNC may be the BEST program in the last 20 years (no chance it's to leave for better chances to win)... it would have ultimately been a lie and he would have just chased a bit more money. And that would have been hugely disappointing and par for the course during this NIL/ Portal era of "college" sports where there is NO LOYALTY. I mean, he just signed a new contract less than 3 months ago! I guess I don't have to process that since he didn't go... but I'm disappointed somewhat as is, IF what you say is true about how CLOSE he was.
You’re looking at this all wrong. If he left it wouldn’t have been about the money for him. It would have been about his family. Getting his staff paid market rate. Get real NIL dollars for his players. Not just Forbes. The entire stsff and roster has long taken far less to be at Carolina. He’s responsible for a lot of folks and many are making peanuts compared to what they should be making.

You’re also misinformed about the details of the contract he “signed” a few months ago. You wrongfully assume UNC delivered their end of the bargain. This situation wasn’t nearly as black and white as you make it out to be.

At the end of the day, UNC has promised to step up. And that means not just Forbes, but the staff and players will all be better for it.
 

unctarheel1984

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Aug 15, 2002
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Thinking the SC offer was only 10% more is wildly delusional and wholly contrary to what was reported.

Regardless, I don’t think it was ever about more money to Forbes driving his interest. It was about taking care of his assistant coaches and his players that would (and ultimately did because UNC stepped up) make a difference.

We are going to lose Gaines or Wierzbicki if we don’t pay them enough to stay. Eventually we are going to lose them anyway as that’s just the nature of having great assistants in any sport.
 

95Heel

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Sep 15, 2025
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Thinking the SC offer was only 10% more is wildly delusional and wholly contrary to what was reported.

Regardless, I don’t think it was ever about more money to Forbes driving his interest. It was about taking care of his assistant coaches and his players that would (and ultimately did because UNC stepped up) make a difference.

We are going to lose Gaines or Wierzbicki if we don’t pay them enough to stay. Eventually we are going to lose them anyway as that’s just the nature of having great assistants in any sport.
Exactly. With great assistants, we should expect them to get bigger job offers (i.e., head coach of their program) - means we are winning. Having the level of institutional support mentioned here means that we'll have opportunity to identify "best available" candidates and not have to rely so much on alums taking hometown discounts.
 
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TommyAshley

Heisman
Staff member
Jun 29, 2025
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There's a lot of right and a lot of wrong on this thread on this subject, but the bottom line is these type deals are never as simple and 'black and white' as Mahler points out.

Loyalty is one thing and should be applauded. To expect blind loyalty or loyalty for the sake of loyalty isn't the way things work these days, especially in college athletics where the pay for players side of things has gone through the roof.

Carolina baseball is on good footing now and going forward. And that's a good thing for all the support and are fans of Carolina baseball.