When North Carolina turned the page from Mack Brown, few people around the sport figured the next name in Chapel Hill would be Bill Belichick. Even fewer would have guessed the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, with eight rings overall, would be trying to reset a college program after a rough first year.
That first season at UNC looked a lot like the end of his run with the New England Patriots. In 2023, Belichick’s Patriots went 4-13. In 2025, the Tar Heels finished 4-8 in his first college season since his playing days at Wesleyan in the 1970s.
Now the question is whether year two gives North Carolina any real traction.
The roster-building numbers don’t exactly scream turnaround. UNC’s last three freshman classes, including two under Belichick, slot the program 27th in recruiting.
The Tar Heels are 40th in the transfer portal, which leaves them 33rd overall in acquisition. On the development side, UNC has sent 10 players to the NFL across the past two draft classes, a mark that puts the Heels behind Duke, Virginia Tech and even Boston College in producing pro talent, though still ahead of FSU and Pitt.
Bill Connelly’s preseason SP+ paints a middling picture as well. UNC checks in 54th overall, with the offense ranked 80th, the defense 35th and the kicking game 32nd.
The bigger issue may be what’s happening around the program, not just on the field. The hiring process that brought Belichick to Chapel Hill didn’t come from outgoing athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
It was Chancellor Lee Roberts’ call, and the $50M contract sits on someone else’s ledger. Cunningham is gone now, replaced by Steve Newmark, a Chapel Hill native and NASCAR executive who spent a year on campus learning the ropes after working as an executive for RFK Racing.
New AD hires tend to put football coaches on notice, and that dynamic could easily apply here.
The schedule won’t do UNC many favors either. Per CFB News, the Tar Heels have the 20th-toughest strength of schedule in the FBS out of 138 teams.
They open against TCU in Ireland, then get an off week before the grind really starts. Clemson, Duke, UConn and Virginia are all road trips, while Notre Dame, Miami, Louisville and NC State come to Chapel Hill.
With the rivals, the heavy hitters and a neutral-site opener all stacked together, there aren’t many obvious soft spots.
Personnel-wise, UNC is also dealing with a lot of turnover. The Heels rank 103rd in returning production and bring back 44% from last season. They don’t have a player on the On3 top-100 list, though Athlon does include one All-ACC selection.
Quarterback is the biggest open question. Gio Lopez is gone, and three players are in the mix for the job: Billy Edwards Jr., Miles O’Neill and freshman Travis Burgess.
At the skill spots, WR Jordan Shipp and RB Demon June are back. Shipp had six touchdowns last season, and June averaged 5.5 yards per carry.
There are some defensive pieces to work with. DE Melkart Abou Jaoude returns after posting 10.5 sacks and 12 TFL’s last season. Jaiden Patterson and Kaleb Cost are back in the secondary at safety and corner, and they combined for 10 PBU’s in 2025.
The financial picture adds another layer. Belichick is the most expensive coach per win on UNC’s 2026 schedule.
After a four-win season in 2025, he cost the Tar Heels $2.5M per victory. That makes FSU’s Mike Norvell look like “a flight on Allegiant Air compared to Belichick’s Fly Emirates pricing model.”
With the new AD in place, the chatter around Belichick’s personal life, and the lack of wins so far at UNC, a buyout after another disappointing season is a real possibility.
The most likely outcome, though, is that the second year could be even rougher than the first. Last season, UNC beat Charlotte, Richmond, Syracuse and Stanford.
This year, ETSU is the only clear cupcake on the slate. And unless the Syracuse quarterback situation breaks the Heels’ way again, the safest bets on the schedule look like NC State and Syracuse.
The rest? Probably losses.
In Other News...
Miami Just Landed The Kind Of Tackle Fans Have Been Waiting For
Miamis 2028 recruiting class already has a headline piece in Kweli Fielder, the four-star offensive tackle who has quickly become one of the more notable young names on the board. ESPNs first SC Next Jr. 300 for the junior class slotted Fielder at No. 25 overall, a strong early indicator for a prospect who committed to the Hurricanes on June 24 and gave Miami a foundational piece up front well before his senior year picture even comes into focus.
What makes the commitment especially interesting for Miami is how early it came and how much room there is for the story to grow from here. Fielder had already been getting varsity experience at a young age, and his pledge also ties into a familiar recruiting thread for the Hurricanes through his cousin and teammate, CJ Cypher, who joined him in the class the same night. For a program always trying to stack elite talent in the trenches, this is the kind of early win that can shape a class before the fall even arrives. [Read more 🡒]
These Quarterbacks Will Put Miamis Defense Under Real Pressure
Miamis defense is about to get a steady diet of different quarterback problems in ACC play, and the range is what makes the schedule so tricky. Some opponents will lean on polished passers with big-play ability, while others bring the kind of young, ascending talent that can change a game before a defense settles in. The Hurricanes have seen enough over the years to know that one dangerous arm is manageable. A string of them, especially with varying styles, is where the stress really starts to show.
Among the names drawing the most attention are Daniels, Vizzina, Grunkemeyer, Heintschel and Carr, each carrying a different kind of threat into the matchup. Daniels has the look of a quarterback who can turn a clean pocket into a problem in a hurry, while Grunkemeyer and Heintschel arrive with the sort of recent production and momentum that can make a defense respect every snap. Carr may end up being the toughest of the bunch for Miami to handle, and the timing of that matchup only adds to the challenge, because by then the passing game around him could be even more dangerous. [Read more 🡒]
Another SEC Contender Just Got A Portal Boost LSU Fans Will Notice
Miamis place near the top of the 2026 transfer portal rankings says as much about quality as quantity. The Hurricanes did not need a massive haul to make an impression, landing a class that shows up well in both recruiting-service data and internal evaluations, with the kind of additions that can change the feel of a roster quickly. Among the featured teams, Miami also stood out for doing it with one of the smallest transfer groups in the mix.
The headliners are the sort of players that make the rest of the league take notice, especially on offense and along the edge. Duke receiver Cooper Barkate gives the Hurricanes another proven target after a productive 2025, while Missouri pass rusher Damon Wilson II adds the kind of front-seven juice that can alter a game plan. The bigger question now is how all of those pieces fit together once Miami gets into the real work of turning portal talent into a complete team. [Read more 🡒]