Jan 20, 2015 12:39 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The North Carolina Tar Heels needed to get tougher on defense to compete in the ACC, and they hop Gene Chizik will help them do that as their defensive coordinator.

According to ESPN, the University of North Carolina (UNC) announced the hiring of Chizik Monday. The Tar Heels went 6-7 this past season, but had one of the worst defenses in the nation.

"Throughout the hiring process, I worked closely with athletic director Bubba Cunningham to invest in someone who believes in the mission of the University and shares our vision of providing an outstanding experience to the student-athletes," UNC head football coach Larry Fedora said in a news release. "Gene Chizik believes in competing at the highest level both on and off the field and is another highly regarded leader for our program."

Chizik served as defensive coordinator at Steven F. Austin, UCF, Auburn and Texas before he got his first shot as a head football coach. After a short stint leading Iowa State, he coached Auburn from 2009 to 2012 and won the 2011 National Championship. He was fired the next season after going 3-9. Since, he has worked for ESPN and Sirius XM Radio as an analyst.

"I'm thrilled to join Coach Fedora's staff and I appreciate the trust he and athletic director Bubba Cunningham have in me," Chizik said in the UNC release.  "It is a tremendous opportunity to coach at one of the most prestigious Universities in the country and live in Chapel Hill.  I'm committed to the student-athlete experience they expect at Carolina, and look forward to developing our players into the best they can be in all areas of their lives."

Chizik may be able to expect a quick turnaround as UNC will be returning seven starters while Florida State, a team unbeaten in the past two regular seasons, are losing several key starters. No Florida State departure will make Chizik's job easier than Jameis Winston's.

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