North Carolina’s football search could look a lot different right now if the Tar Heels had gone in another direction.
Bill Belichick was the headline-grabbing choice, but a new report from The Athletic says UNC also had Jon Sumrall in the mix. And while Belichick’s arrival came with plenty of buzz, the on-field results and the surrounding noise have not matched the splash.
The Tar Heels are heading into a brutal stretch, with Notre Dame and Miami waiting at the end of October. The Notre Dame game this weekend is shaping up as one of the toughest matchups in college football, and North Carolina is not expected to win based on the odds.
The broader picture around the program has only added to the frustration. The Athletic noted that “Many around Chapel Hill are unsatisfied with an investigation that produced no published or detailed findings.
Then there’s the on-field product, which is still struggling in several areas. Even after hiring Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, UNC ranks 102nd nationally in scoring offense and is coming off a blown 14-point lead at Clemson that would have counted as a breakthrough victory.
Four of UNC’s next five games are against teams currently 4-0, punctuated by a Halloween home tilt against No. 4 Miami.
“Meanwhile, one of the other candidates UNC considered hiring instead of Belichick - Jon Sumrall - has Florida undefeated and ranked No. 8 nationally,” The Athletic wrote.
That’s the part that stands out now. Sumrall has Florida undefeated and sitting at No. 8, which only sharpens the comparison for a North Carolina program still trying to find its footing.
The report doesn’t say everything would have gone perfectly with Sumrall in Chapel Hill. But it does make the alternate path feel a lot more appealing than where UNC sits right now.
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Michael Malone Just Sparked A Big UNC Roster-Building Debate
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Malone, by contrast, is still actively chasing top high school talent, keeping North Carolina in the mix for the traditional one-and-done pipeline even as more coaches hedge toward older rosters. It is a debate with real stakes for the Tar Heels, since the high-school-heavy approach can bring upside and long-term ceiling, but it also asks programs to balance development, roster fit and the risk of missing on younger recruits in a market where experienced players are increasingly valuable. [Read more 🡒]