Bill Belichick’s first year in Chapel Hill left North Carolina with plenty of questions and not many answers, and now the Tar Heels are heading to Dublin to open year two against the same opponent that helped set the tone for the debut. If Belichick needs a reset, he may need more than a new game plan.
The Tar Heels’ 4-8 season was rough from the start. Their opening possession against TCU looked like the kind of burst that can sell a fan base on a new era: a 7-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that sliced through the defense at top speed.
Then TCU took over, ripping off a 48-7 run and cruising to a 48-14 win. North Carolina never really recovered.
That first season played out like a warning sign. Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi, in the writer’s view, didn’t get enough from the transfer portal, spent too much on players who hadn’t earned it, and missed better options. The roster simply wasn’t built to handle ACC play in Year One.
The off-field situation hasn’t exactly helped settle things down. Lombardi is on administrative leave after an HR investigation tied to a complaint from a former employee.
Meanwhile, one of the main selling points of hiring Belichick was the staff he could assemble around him, and that picture has changed fast. Defensive coordinator and son Steve Belichick is on medical leave.
Offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens is no longer with the program and has been replaced by Bobby Petrino.
Now the focus shifts to a second straight meeting with TCU, this time in Ireland, and the backdrop is the so-called “Dublin Curse.” The teams that have lost there have not fared well afterward.
Nebraska lost in 2022 and finished 4-8 before firing Scott Frost. Florida State lost to Georgia Tech in 2024 as a huge favorite and ended up 2-10.
Last season, Kansas State fell to Iowa State, went 6-6, and saw its head coach retire.
That’s the kind of history hanging over a North Carolina team entering the game as a 7.5-point underdog. And with the defense not showing much improvement in the portal, the offensive line looking no better than it did a year ago, and Billy Edwards Jr. arriving from Wisconsin to take over at quarterback, Belichick is being asked to do a lot with a roster that doesn’t look ready.
For now, the mission is simple: beat TCU, break the Dublin Curse, and give this second act a better opening than the first one got. If not, the Blarney Stone might be the only thing in Ireland offering Belichick any real help.
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