What looked like a messy situation around UNC football a few weeks ago has turned into something much bigger.
The latest blow came Thursday, when general manager Mike Lombardi stepped away from the program for good as part of a broader investigation into the Tar Heels. WRAL reported that North Carolina is now examining the program under head coach Bill Belichick, with questions centered on several serious issues.
According to the report, the university is looking into whether Steve Belichick, Bill’s son and the team’s defensive coordinator, used drugs at school facilities. It is also investigating whether Steve Belichick provided drugs to at least one player, along with possible improper relationships involving coaches, recruiting staffers and at least one recruiting staffer and a player.
That leaves a huge question hanging over Chapel Hill: will Bill Belichick still be coaching the Tar Heels when Syracuse arrives on Oct. 24?
Some around the situation have already suggested UNC could be looking for a way out if the investigation turns up further improprieties. If that happens, the school could potentially fire Belichick for cause and avoid paying the remaining money on his contract.
For now, though, UNC is still unbeaten. The Tar Heels opened the season by beating TCU, and they are 1-0 after that win.
Last year’s North Carolina team was a different story. The Tar Heels finished 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the ACC, becoming a national punchline in the process, with Belichick’s relationship with 20-something Jordan Hudson also drawing attention. Even so, UNC did handle Syracuse last Halloween night in the JMA Wireless Dome, winning 27-10.
That sets up the rematch in Chapel Hill this fall - assuming Belichick is still on the sideline when it gets there.
Around the ACC, Georgia Tech opened its season with a 14-13 loss to Colorado on Thursday night after a blocked field goal at the end of the game. The Yellow Jackets do not face Syracuse this season, but they went 6-2 in the ACC a year ago and remain a team to watch in the league.
Syracuse, meanwhile, begins its season Saturday at noon ET in the JMA Wireless Dome against New Hampshire. The Wildcats are 0-1 after losing to Albany in their opener, and the Orange are coming off a 3-9 season.
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Syracuse heads into the new season with a different feel on both sides of the ball, thanks to major changes on the coaching staff and a roster that now leans on several transfers expected to help right away. The overhaul is most noticeable up front, where new coordinators on the offensive and defensive lines will have plenty to sort through as the Orange try to build more stability around returning starter Steve Angeli.
The schedule is unforgiving enough at home to tell a real story about where Fran Browns program stands. Ranked opponents are coming to the dome, and those games will quickly reveal whether the new pieces are blending into something sturdier or still searching for chemistry. For Syracuse, the early-season margin for error looks thin, and the biggest tests may say more about the progress of the program than the record itself. [Read more 🡒]
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Brown also pointed to a new era under Sean Goldrich, whose arrival has changed the way New Hampshire is building its roster and has given the program a different feel heading into this matchup. For Syracuse fans looking for the names most likely to matter, linebacker Trevor Berry and receiver JaCarree Kelly stand out as two Wildcats worth tracking when the Orange kick things off. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Recruiting Momentum Now Hinges On Three Huge 2027 Targets
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Each of those recruitment tracks brings its own wrinkle, from official visits to the pull of other programs, which is exactly why the next few steps matter so much for Syracuse. The staff is trying to turn early momentum into something bigger, and while Donohue gives the class a starting point, the bigger question is whether the Orange can land one of the headliners, or even better, keep themselves positioned for more than one. [Read more 🡒]