Syracuse to face UNC team in second year of the Belichick era

Editor's Note: During the summer, we're going to be doing a team-by-team preview of Syracuse football's 2026 opponents. Our last opponent preview was for Louisville, and we continue our series today with Syracuse's matchup against North Carolina on Oct. 24.

Bill Belichick’s first season as head coach for the Tar Heels was underwhelming. North Carolina won just four games last season, one of which was against Syracuse.

A look back at UNC's 2025 season

Belichick had an active spring and summer leading into his debut season. The legendary NFL coach built a transfer class of 41 players, ranked ninth in the nation, recruiting players away from high-profile programs.

The talent did not come together well enough to find success.

Last season, UNC was led by sophomore quarterback, Gio Lopez, a transfer from South Alabama. Lopez threw for just 1,747 yards and had a TD-INT ratio of 10–5. They had a committee of three running backs splitting the backfield touches.

Demon June, Benjamin Hall, and Davion Gause combined for 997 yards and just seven touchdowns. Jordan Shipp was the only receiver of note, catching 60 passes for 671 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Scoring was the Tar Heels biggest struggle from last season as they scored just 19.2 points per game, 120th of 136 FCS teams. Defensively, they weren’t any better, allowing 337 yards of total offense per game. More shocking, they were 134th out of 136 teams in 4th down stops, allowing a conversion rate of 75%.

Previewing UNC's 2026 season

The Tar Heels are heading for more of the same in the 2026 season.

After a rough offseason and taking massive hits in the portal, UNC’s outlook is more troubled after their incoming transfer class ranked 52nd in the nation.

Notable players to transfer out include Lopez, linebacker Mikai Gbayor, and edge Tyler Thompson.

The new starter under center will be Billy Edwrads Jr., a transfer from Wisconsin. Edwards is a redshirt senior who played in just two games in 2025 and recorded 16 pass attempts.

Edwards will have Demon and Hall behind him in the backfield as the Tar Heels retain the two running backs along with lead receiver Shipp. As with most Belichick run teams, the O-line is a bright spot.

Edwards back side will be covered by juniors Jordan Hall and Aidan Banfield. The right side will be defended by transfers Andrew Threatt and Jacqawn McRoy.

Defensively, seven of the 11 starters are returning players. As for filling the gaps left by Gbayor and Thompson, former Orange linebacker Derek McDonald and former Richmond edge Donovan Hoilette will be called upon.

The lack of impact players brought in via the portal doesn't help UNC's case this season. The over/under currently for wins stands at 4.5, and I don't think one of them will be from Syracuse, with the Orange taking this game 21-12.

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