"I know people are going to be concerned and everything, but it's going to be OK," Davis said today. "We're going to get through this and we're going to have a great season next fall."

Davis said he wasn't even aware he had a growth when he saw his dentist late last month in Cleveland for a routine cleaning. After the growth was removed, a biopsy diagnosed it as non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

Subsequnt exams found no evidence that the cancer has spread, but Davis said he is undergoing chemotherapy as a precaution. He had his first two-hour session last week, and will have between three and six more.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system and can occur most places in the body. The two main kinds are Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"Like most people faced with cancer, the diagnosis came as a complete shock," Davis said. "However, the doctors have been thorough and have recommended a course of chemotherapy. As a result of all of the other tests, my general health has never been better."

The former Cleveland Browns and University of Miami coach was hired in November. He replaced the fired John Bunting, who had just one winning season in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels finished the 2006 season with a 3-9 record, winning their final two games.

Davis went 51-20 at Miami from 1995-00, returning to national prominence a program saddled with severe scholarship reductions and a one-year postseason ban because of a lack of institutional control.