North Carolina’s offense looks built to be different this time around.
After a 4-8 season that fell well short of expectations, the Tar Heels spent heavily to reshape that side of the ball, and the changes reach all the way to the sideline. Bill Belichick brought in Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator, and with training camp underway, a few things are already becoming clear about how UNC wants to play.
The biggest shift is balance. Last year’s offense under Freddie Kitchens never really found a rhythm or a clear identity, but Petrino’s version is expected to lean much more heavily on the run game in 2026.
Petrino said last week that the ground attack will be a key part of what UNC does because it can open up everything else in the playbook. That’s a big deal for a team that struggled to stay on schedule and ahead of the chains in 2025.
Demon June should see a much bigger workload this fall.
The passing game, meanwhile, still runs through Jordan Shipp. He was the lone North Carolina receiver to top 40 catches, 500 yards, and five touchdowns last season, and he finished as the team leader with 60 receptions for 671 yards and six touchdowns.
But the Tar Heels knew Shipp couldn’t carry the entire load by himself, so they attacked the transfer portal and added Mason Humphrey, Trech Kekahuna, and Jaxxon Warren. Early in camp, Humphrey has already separated himself as the second option in the passing game.
The quarterback race is the other major storyline, and it’s one that should shape everything else. The competition is still unresolved, but Petrino made it clear that each candidate brings something different to the table and has a chance to affect the offense in his own way. What UNC needs now is simple: someone who can keep the unit steady.
That matters even more with a tough conference slate coming in an improved ACC. For the Tar Heels, quarterback play has to be dramatically better than it was a year ago if this offense is going to hold up.
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Bobby Petrino is expected to lean into a run-first approach, with Demon June and Benjamin Hall set to carry much of the load on the ground. Still, in a season where the margin for mistake is thin, having legitimate options outside can matter just as much as any rushing plan or quarterback answer, and it gives North Carolina at least one obvious place to lean if the offense needs rescuing. [Read more 🡒]