UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi has been placed on paid administrative leave, with the university saying the move is “effective immediately.”
UNC announced the decision Monday, July 27, and vice chancellor Dean Stoyer said in a school-issued statement: “As is standard procedure with personnel matters, leadership, staff, and student-athletes are prohibited from addressing this topic further, and has no reflection on the merits,”
Lombardi arrived at UNC ahead of the 2025 season as Bill Belichick’s first hire, joining the Tar Heels on a three-year deal that made him the highest-paid general manager in college football at $1.5 million annually, according to USA TODAY’s salary database. He is in the second year of that contract, which runs through Jan. 15, 2028.
Before landing in Chapel Hill, Lombardi spent years in NFL front offices and worked with Belichick in Cleveland and New England. Belichick introduced him at his introductory press conference in December 2024.
Lombardi’s role drew attention quickly. In February 2025, during a 28-minute introductory press conference as UNC’s GM, he said “everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” and added that the Tar Heels “ consider ourselves the 33rd (NFL) team, ‘cause everybody who’s involved in our program has had some form of aspect in pro football.”
He also made a preseason trip overseas in August 2025, when he took a “preseason exploratory fundraising trip to Saudi Arabia” that the university said was “at the invite of the hosts and funded by the hosts.” The following month, Lombardi sent a letter to some of UNC’s biggest donors urging patience with the program. In October, he discussed that letter on UNC’s football show, saying he writes a letter “every month” and repeating that Belichick came to Chapel Hill to “build a foundation,” while stressing the importance of player development.
UNC went 4-8 in the 2025 season.
The Tar Heels open training camp on Thursday, July 30, and begin the 2026 season against TCU on Saturday, Aug. 29 at noon on ESPN in Dublin, Ireland.
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