Bill Belichick’s return to New England is on the UConn schedule, but the trip to Storrs may not end up happening the way it was first billed.
When Connecticut’s football slate came out earlier this year, the home portion jumped off the page. Maryland, North Carolina and Syracuse are all headed to Storrs, and so is James Madison, which the source says was a College Football Playoff participant from 2025. Among those games, the Nov. 7 meeting with North Carolina stood out immediately because it would bring Belichick back to New England for the first time since he was fired as head coach of the New England Patriots at the end of the 2023 season.
That alone made the matchup a draw. Belichick won six Super Bowl championships with the Patriots and is widely credited as the greatest football coach of all-time. For UConn, and for football fans across New England, it looked like a rare chance to see him back in the region in a game that mattered.
Now, though, the bigger question is whether Belichick will still be on the sideline by then.
Things at North Carolina have become messy fast. Earlier this summer, general manager Mike Lombardi, a longtime Belichick ally, was placed on administrative leave. Then on Thursday, he resigned before a major report from WRAL.
That report says the university is investigating whether Steve Belichick, Bill’s son and UNC’s defensive coordinator, used drugs at school facilities. It also says officials are looking into whether Steve Belichick gave drugs to at least one player, along with possible improper relationships involving coaches and recruiting staffers, and between at least one recruiting staffer and a player.
Because of that, some believe the school is building a case to remove Bill Belichick as head coach. If he is fired for cause, the school would not owe him additional money.
UNC’s on-field results last season didn’t help its standing, either. The Tar Heels went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the ACC, and the program drew plenty of ridicule for both its play and Belichick’s relationship with the much younger Jordan Hudson, who appeared to insert herself into the program as well.
North Carolina did open this season with a win, beating TCU 15-10 in Week 0.
For UConn, the focus now shifts to its own opener. The Huskies begin the season Saturday at noon ET against Lafayette, with Jason Candle set to coach his first game after taking over for Jim Mora in the offseason. Mora left for Colorado State.
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UConn Opens A New Era With One Huge Question Still Looming
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The opener also comes with one big item still hanging over the week: the Huskies have not yet settled on a starting quarterback, leaving one of the most important decisions in place as game day approaches. Lafayette enters with its last outing wiped out by weather, and coach John Troxell has stability on his side after a recent contract extension, but all eyes in Storrs are on how Candle handles the first real test of this new era. [Read more 🡒]