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David Hale
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In the midst of a tumultuous week of negative coverage in early October, Bill Belichick stepped up to the podium to address the skeptics.
No, he wasn’t departing from North Carolina.
No, he wasn’t altering his coaching staff.
And yes, in spite of all indications to the contrary following a 2-3 beginning and, most recently, a humiliating defeat to Clemson at home where the stands at Kenan Stadium cleared before halftime, this Tar Heels squad was significantly better.
«Our football team has improved greatly since the end of spring practice, I can assure you,» he stated.
Trust the process, Belichick urged, and whether anyone in the audience was persuaded, his remarks appeared to strike a chord within his own locker room.
North Carolina has suffered two additional losses since that point, but the first — a trip to Cal — was by a mere three points, and the latest, against a ranked Virginia team, was determined by an unsuccessful 2-point attempt in overtime.
They canceled a proposed documentary about the season, with reports detailing the underpromotion of Heels alum Drake Maye due to Belichick’s prohibition on anything linked to his former employer, the New England Patriots, from being featured on the school’s social media channels.
Curiously enough, this all seemed to be precisely the right catalyst for uniting the locker room, according to receiver Jordan Shipp.
«I believe that’s what brought us all closer,» Shipp expressed. «You’re meant to support your brother, no matter the circumstances. There’s a lot of that camaraderie happening in this building.»
Success, of course, is entirely about context, and when Belichick speaks of his methodology, it’s important to note that from Day 1, he was starting much further from the peak than most within the program had ever envisioned.
TCU. The Heels’ initial drive was precise — a seven-play, 83-yard progression for a touchdown that left the crowd, including Michael Jordan and Mia Hamm, ecstatic.
However, TCU lifted the veil and revealed the true North Carolina.
«If you watch the TCU film: There are players walking [during plays] on the field at one moment,» remarked the coach of one UNC opponent. «That was quite shocking.»
TCU triumphed in that game 48-14. QB Gio Lopez, at one stage, went two full hours of actual time without completing a pass. North Carolina appeared completely adrift.
As one defensive assistant who competed against UNC later in the season noted, the Heels’ offensive strategy was unimaginative. It seemed, according to the assistant, as if they had reviewed some game footage, identified a few successful plays from the past, and executed the same ones again.
«They’re imitating others,» the assistant claimed. «TCU must have been bored.»
If the offense was dull, the defense was lost.
«The two touchdowns in the third quarter were from the same play,» the rival coach said, «and no one — there wasn’t even a thought of, ‘Hey, let’s prevent that from happening again.'»
As Belichick endeavored to instill an NFL methodology in Chapel Hill, much was lost in translation with a group of players who appeared overwhelmed by the demands placed upon them and, at times, dispirited.
«They simply don’t grasp how to play college football with tempo and getting people into spaces and executing the RPO concept,» another opposing assistant coach commented. «They expect you to line up and reveal your intentions every play. Most college teams don’t do that. You’ll have to react, so the coordinator is usually giving late calls, and you need to play more fundamentally.»
The outcome was a team that resembled more the opening scenes of a terrible football film than a 33rd NFL franchise. In the weeks following TCU, conditions only deteriorated further.
Wake Forest, head coach Jake Dickert took over a squad with less established talent than UNC a week after Belichick, yet he also approached roster-building with an NFL mindset, and the Deacons currently stand at 5-2.
«It’s akin to the late rounds of the draft,» Dickert noted. «We discovered players who are passionate about football, fit our culture, and exhibit an excellent energy and enthusiasm for their tasks. I remarked when I was appointed that this is not a throwaway season. The best program builders in the nation maximize the opportunities.
In stark contrast, Lombardi seemed eager to dismiss the Heels’ early difficulties as the unavoidable consequence of a season where UNC harbored no expectations of success.
Lombardi sent a letter to donors urging them to maintain patience, repeatedly labeling this a «rebuild» — a notion that was never clearly communicated to administrators, fans, or even players.
«I’m not in the business of rebuilding,» Shipp asserted. «I’m here to win.»
As turmoil engulfed the program, AD Bubba Cunningham pointed to the profound gap between expectations and reality as the principal concern.
Documentation acquired through an open records request by ESPN revealed that a high-ranking UNC administrator celebrated the announcement of the 2025 schedule, combined with the hiring of Belichick, as «ideal» for the Heels. Aside from Clemson, no team appeared significantly stronger than Carolina, and with Belichick on the sidelines, there was every reason to think this UNC crew could exceed expectations in Year 1 of the new regime, finally moving beyond years of mediocrity under Mack Brown.
For individuals who genuinely assessed the talent on the roster, that notion always seemed ludicrous.
«I do believe every one of us anticipated that they wouldn’t be very good this year since everyone departed,» said another ACC coach. «You have a significant talent gap. And I’m unsure what’s happening internally, but you’re out of luck in this day and age if it’s all business and transactional. You need to foster relationships with them.»
This transactional method was central to Lombardi’s offseason strategy, leading to a dismantling of Brown’s final roster and the procurement of 70 players from the transfer portal, including 30 post-spring practice.
Multiple sources with inside knowledge indicated that the early recruiting phases were chaotic as UNC was understaffed and ill-prepared to recruit. Administration had allocated substantial resources to the program in an effort to enhance talent; however, as a player personnel staffer at another ACC institution remarked, UNC «has financial resources but doesn’t know how to utilize them.»
The ultimate outcome was, as Belichick and Lombardi appeared to concede, a genuinely deficient team incapable of executing the fundamentals of the NFL strategies they sought to apply.
«It’s that NFL ideology,» the opposing analyst stated. «There was a lot of that, ‘Hey, we’ve been in the NFL, and we expect our players to adapt and adjust rapidly.’ That sounds good in theory, but you’re working with college students; you still need to position them for success.»
Chandler Morris and held the Cavaliers to just 10 points in regulation.
This was, by UNC standards, a moment of celebration.
«They were effectively playing wide ends and preventing us from getting to the outside,» Virginia coach Tony Elliott remarked afterward. «They excelled at sealing everything off, executing man coverage, and having an additional defender for our inside runs.»
Yet it’s also probable the Heels achieved success by stepping away from many of the high aspirations of the Belichick blueprint and merely committing to the fundamentals.
«They’ve experienced difficulties in the secondary at times, predominantly in the intermediate passing game,» another opposing analyst stated. «Earlier in the season, they were overextending themselves. They’ve simplified numerous aspects and are attempting to play to their players’ strengths.»
That strength, according to one assistant who confronted UNC early in the season, was clearly the defensive front.
In UNC’s last three contests, they have permitted only 228 rushing yards — 2.4 per attempt — and amassed 10 sacks after producing just four in the initial four games.
«Their front-end players, they possess talent,» observed one opposing coach who faced UNC early. «Their defensive line was substantial, and we perceived them as fairly competent, truthfully. They merely lacked the depth to rotate those players out.»
A distinct sign of advancement at UNC is that coaches have pinpointed individuals who can contribute who hadn’t received much playing time in the early stages of the year.
This impact has been most evident on offense. Kobe Paysour, who managed only two receptions for 18 yards in UNC’s first five contests, has secured nine catches for 155 yards in the last two. Running back Benjamin Hall, who maxed out at six carries in those initial five games, has now recorded 25 attempts for 118 yards and a touchdown since then. Additionally, against Virginia, freshman Madrid Tucker made his debut and led the way with eight receptions.
Nevertheless, it has culminated in just 34 points over the past two weeks, and UNC still hasn’t surpassed 20 against an FBS adversary this year.
Upon taking over, Belichick fundamentally overhauled the roster, removing anyone associated with Brown’s tenure at Chapel Hill. One of the few survivors, however, is offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, a previous assistant under Brown and one-time NFL head coach.
Kitchens, however, had not called plays since 2021, and he had never served as a college coordinator.
«I believe a skilled offensive coordinator can turn chicken salad out of chicken s—,» one opposing assistant remarked. «But you can’t execute NFL strategies without NFL talent. Period.»
Another assistant coach of a rival team noted that while UNC’s offensive line is sizable and physical, its members lack notable athleticism, so versus quicker defensive units or more dynamic pass-rushing techniques, the Heels encounter difficulties.
Then there’s the quarterback dilemma.
Lopez was expected to be the prize of Belichick’s transfer portal acquisitions, with UNC securing the South Alabama transfer for a rumored $2 million. It hasn’t materialized.
Among 69 qualified Power 4 quarterbacks, Lopez ranks 67th in Total QBR (34.1), 67th in yards-per-dropback (4.98), and 57th in adjusted completion rate (66.4%). In four starts against Power 4 competition, he has tossed five interceptions and no touchdowns on throws beyond the line of scrimmage.
«Aside from the scripted drives, the quarterback struggles to navigate the progressions and discern what the next step should be,» the opposing assistant coach remarked.
7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN), UNC faces another team floundering in search of identity in Syracuse. The Orange were once riding high, fresh off a commanding victory over Clemson, but after losing their starting QB, they haven’t won since. It’s illustrative of the situation Carolina is entrenched in — light on depth and lacking robust QB performance.
«It doesn’t matter who you are as a coach; you need to have strong players,» one UNC rival coach commented. «However, what a proficient coach can achieve is to maximize their potential. It’s a personnel dilemma for them.»
Three weeks ago, the notion that Belichick would even be present to witness the results of any rebuild seemed precarious. Whether Lombardi and Belichick had any blueprint for cultivating that future was mere speculation and hollow promises. The status of the program that Belichick had vowed to craft in the likeness of his best NFL squads felt like some sort of fever dream.
Now, well, those circumstances haven’t shifted dramatically, but there exists at least a glimmer of hope that this might all come together in the long run, and all the critiques of the first seven games of the Belichick era will either be substantiated or dismissed based on what the forthcoming five weeks reveal.
«Our consistency has been evident since Michael Lombardi and I arrived and began hiring personnel and joined the organization in December,» Belichick stated this week. «We showed up together, and we’ve been doing it daily, and that’s how it will continue to be. So I’m sure many other individuals out there desire to generate clicks, views, and posts featuring my image or whatever, but really, it’s just a load of nonsense.»
