UNC coach Larry Fedora and his staff of assistants will receive a combined $4.07 million during their first year on the job. PHOTO: Rober Willett

The University of North Carolina will pay its football coaching staff $4.07 million during its first year on the job, according to figures the university released on Monday. That includes the $2.13 million UNC will pay to head coach Larry Fedora, whom the university introduced in December as the successor to interim head coach Everett Withers.

Fedora’s salary includes a one-time payment of $400,000, which the university was to provide to him by March 15, according to his contract. Blake Anderson, Dan Disch and Vic Koenning are UNC’s three highest-paid assistants. They will each receive $250,000 annually. 

UNC coach Larry Fedora said the Tar Heels' rivalry with N.C. State will be a point of emphasis. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHARLOTTE — Larry Fedora has yet to coach his first game at North Carolina but already he has added some zest to the Tar Heels’ football rivalry with N.C. State. Speaking on Wednesday night in Charlotte at a Rams Club Tar Heel Tour stop, Fedora indicated he understands just fine the significance of the UNC-N.C. State rivalry.

UNC coach Larry Fedora address his team after the Tar Heels' spring game on Saturday. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina held its annual Blue vs. White spring football scrimmage at Kenan Stadium on Saturday. In case you missed the story that ran in the paper about this yesterday, you can read it right here. The Blue team defeated the White, 44-7. Well, actually, the final scoreboard read 44-21 – but that includes 14 points that the White team received at halftime to make the game a bit more competitive.

Of course, the final score of a spring scrimmage doesn’t mean much. And it’s difficult to read too much into the Tar Heels’ spring game, anyway, because it was, you have to remember, UNC’s 14th practice in the completely new, completely different offensive and defensive system that first-year coach Larry Fedora and his assistants are installing. A lot will change between now and September.

Even so, the spring game provided us some insight and some lessons. Here are some of them:

UNC coach Larry Fedora wants to see energy and enthusiasm during the Tar Heels' spring game on Saturday. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Larry Fedora wouldn’t mind another 25, 30 practices or so this spring. Maybe by then, he said earlier this week, the Tar Heels would be able to accomplish all they need to accomplish before heading into the off-season conditioning program.

But there will not be 25 or 30 more practices for Fedora and UNC. NCAA rules limit teams to 15 spring practices, and UNC’s final one comes on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Kenan Stadium, where the Tar Heels will play their annual spring scrimmage (admission free, game televised at ESPN3.com).

Here are some things to watch:

CHAPEL HILL — The start of spring college football practices always represents a new beginning, no matter the school. It’s especially so at North Carolina, though, which begins spring practice this afternoon.

The Tar Heels have a new head coach, Larry Fedora. They have a new coaching staff. A new offensive and defensive scheme. And a sense of a new beginning now that UNC’s NCAA infractions case is a thing of the past.

I wrote about UNC’s new beginning in a story right here. And before writing that, I had the chance to conduct a short interview with Fedora …

Here it is:

CHAPEL HILL — A couple of quick North Carolina spring football tidbits for you on this Wednesday:

CHAPEL HILL — What began in May 2010 with a Marvin Austin tweet about lavish partying on South Beach ended on Monday when the NCAA Committee on Infractions gave its final verdict in a scandal that hung over the University of North Carolina football program for nearly two years.

UNC’s football team will serve a postseason ban in 2012, and first-year head coach Larry Fedora will have to make do with five fewer scholarships in each of the next three seasons. During the same time span, UNC will remain on probation, and anything that runs afoul of NCAA rules during that time would be subject to harsher penalties.

The drama is over, finally, and the case is closed. But the end brings a time for reflection. So here are some final thoughts on a case that seemed would never end – but finally did earlier this week:

CHAPEL HILL — It’s always difficult for a new college football coaching staff to recruit. Since most coaching transitions in college football happen in December or early January, a head coach and his staff might unite with about a month left before national signing day.

That’s how it was at North Carolina, where Larry Fedora was introduced as the Tar Heels new head coach in mid-December. He started later that month, and announced his staff in early January. Then it was time to recruit. The task would have been difficult enough. 

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Larry Fedora, above, spoke with a sense of pride earlier today about the Tar Heels’ 23-man recruiting class. It’s a class that perhaps turned out about as well as could be expected, given Fedora and his staff had about a month to put it together – and given that the NCAA has yet to rule on the impermissible benefits and academic fraud scandals that rocked the UNC football program in 2010.

Still, despite the challenges, the Tar Heels closed strongly. Quinshad Davis, whom Rivals.com ranks as the No. 34 receiver in the country – and the second-best prospect overall in South Carolina – signed with UNC on Wednesday. So, too, did James Summers, the Greensboro Page High quarterback who last week switched his commitment from N.C. State. 

CHAPEL HILL — Football coach Larry Fedora didn’t begin work at North Carolina until late December, so it would have been difficult enough for him and his new staff of assistant coaches to formulate a recruiting plan and then execute it.

But the process has been more difficult given that Fedora and his staff have had to recruit while they wait for the NCAA to rule on the impermissible benefits and academic fraud cases that for the past year and a half have hung over the UNC football program.