Bill Belichick is heading into Year 2 at North Carolina with plenty to prove, and the opening act could shape the entire mood around Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels’ first season under Belichick was a mess by the numbers and by the noise around it. North Carolina finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in ACC play, and the year came with more off-field distractions and negative media coverage than anyone in Chapel Hill wanted. Now the program is trying to turn the page, and there’s at least some hope that Belichick can guide a meaningful step forward.
That process starts Saturday, when North Carolina meets TCU in Ireland in a standalone game. It’s an early chance for Belichick to reset the story with a win. If the Tar Heels stumble, though, the same bad feelings from last season are likely to follow them right back into the new year.
Paul Finebaum doesn’t sound like he’s expecting a comeback. While appearing on First Take on Tuesday, he made it clear he isn’t exactly pulling for the former NFL great.
“I’m not pulling for Bill Belichick,” Finebaum said. “He’s a grouch, he’s a bully, and his career in college is about to go in flames.”
"I'm not pulling for Bill Belichick. He's a grouch, he's a bully, and his career in college is about to go down in flames." @finebaum sounds off on Bill Belichick 😳 pic.twitter.com/a1y81a04Ym
- First Take (@FirstTake) August 25, 2026
That’s a sharp assessment, and it fits the way plenty of people have started to view the experiment after the first year went so badly. Belichick has never been the easiest coach to warm up to, and for neutral observers, he’s not exactly built to be a crowd favorite.
Still, there’s another way to look at it: North Carolina ought to be better this season than it was a year ago. That’s not a bold forecast so much as a practical one. Almost anything would count as progress, and it would be hard to imagine the Tar Heels doing worse.
In Other News...
Paul Finebaum Just Turned Up The Pressure On Bill Belichick At UNC
Bill Belichicks first stretch at North Carolina has already drawn plenty of scrutiny, and Paul Finebaum just added more of it from a national platform. On ESPNs First Take, Finebaum said he expects Belichicks run in Chapel Hill to be over before the end of the 2026 season, pointing to last years 4-8 finish and arguing that the program has looked disjointed under the new coach.
The timing only sharpens the attention around UNC, which is headed to Dublin, Ireland, to open against TCU. For a program trying to reset its footing under one of footballs most famous names, the trip offers an early chance to change the conversation - but it also means every detail around Belichicks start will be examined even more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Michael Malone Is Setting A Standard UNC Fans Have Missed
Michael Malone has barely gotten settled as North Carolinas new head coach, but he already sounds like someone intent on restoring the level of expectation that comes with the job. From the way he talks about training and preparation, the message is clear: progress has to happen every day, in every corner of the program, if the Tar Heels are going to compete where they expect to compete.
For UNC fans, that kind of standard is part of the appeal. Malone appears to understand the history he has inherited and the pressure that comes with it, setting the tone around more than just wins and losses. The real test will be whether that daily urgency translates into the kind of consistency that can put this team in position to make a Final Four run. [Read more 🡒]
UNCs Quarterback Decision Could Create An Offseason Problem
North Carolina spent the offseason reshaping its quarterback room, and the early answer at the top of the depth chart has brought some clarity with a possible catch. Billy Edwards Jr. was named the Week 1 starter over Miles O'Neill, giving the Tar Heels an immediate pecking order after bringing both players in through the transfer portal. O'Neill is set to back up Edwards Jr. for now, but the move also underscores how quickly the room shifted from uncertainty to a new kind of competition.
Miles O'Neill's situation is one to watch beyond this season because the Tar Heels are not done adding talent at the position. Travis Burgess is on the way in, and if Edwards Jr. holds onto the job, O'Neill could be squeezed by both the roster traffic ahead of him and any coaching changes that follow. For North Carolina, it is the sort of quarterback puzzle that can look manageable in August and become much harder to sort out once the offseason starts turning again. [Read more 🡒]