Division East Division | ||
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Head coach Brad Lambert (4th year) | ||
The 2016 Charlotte 49ers football team represented the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (also called Charlotte or UNC Charlotte) in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the school's fourth season of NCAA football, their second season of NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) play, and their second season as a member of Conference USA's East Division. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Brad Lambert and played its home games on campus at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. This was the first season the 49ers were eligible to participate in a bowl game. They finished the season 4–8, 3–5 in C-USA play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.
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Coaching staff
Former Eastern Kentucky head coach Dean Hood was announced as Assistant Head Coach and Tight Ends Coach on December 18, 2015. Lambert had worked with Hood at Wake Forest and had been his replacement as Defensive Coordinator for the Demon Deacons. Johnson Richardson moved from coaching Tight Ends to Offensive Line Coach. After three years with the 49ers Napoleon Sykes returned to Navy to coach defensive line for the Midshipmen. NC State Quality Control Coach Ulrick Edmonds joined the staff of February 12, 2016. He replaced Sykes as Outside Linebackers Coach. After a one-year stint as Offensive Line Coach, having stepped into the role after the sudden death of Phil Ratliff, former Carolina Panther, Kevin Donnalley returned the Charlotte 49ers radio broadcast team.
Recruiting class
The following recruits and transfers have signed letters of intent to the Charlotte 49ers football program for the 2016 recruiting year.