Alex Taylor Emerging as Key WR for North Carolina

One of the biggest areas of concern for North Carolina has been its wide receiver position due to a lack of big-time playmakers in the passing game.

With Bill Belichick and his new staff in place, North Carolina has added more than 70 new players, leading to massive turnover at several positions. One exception is the wide receiver room, which has seen little change. Notable returners Kobe Paysour and Jordan Shipp give the Tar Heels proven options, but the unit still lacks depth and needs more than two reliable pass-catchers.

However, one player has emerged, and that is redshirt freshman Alex Taylor.

Taylor said one of the biggest reasons for the lack of turnover in the wide receiver room comes from the close bond the wide receivers have, the great education at UNC, and the growing relationship with Belichick and wide receivers coach Garrick McGee.

"Really, we love UNC as a whole. School-wise, you know, it's a great education. I mean, a lot of us guys, like, we're really close off the field, so just talking to each other, seeing what we were thinking. And then we had a good coach, Coach Belichick; it's hard to pass up on that.

Then coach [Garrick] McGee came in and we talked to him, and we had some talks, and we liked everything that he talked about. So, that's really why we just decided to stay together and keep building."

Sometimes Change is Good

UNC — Mar 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick before the game at Dean E. Smith Center. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Greensboro, N.C., native only appeared in four games last year, but he learned several important lessons.

"I learned to just be patient, not waste your time and make the most of your opportunities," Taylor said. "I didn't really get a lot to show what I could do last year, so it's kind of a little motivation factor for me, just to show what I can do. And I just learned, you know, just be patient in the process. Take your time, learn what you can learn from the older guys."

Since the spring, Taylor has benefited from having an almost entirely new coaching staff at North Carolina, quickly earning their trust.

"Making the most of what I can do anytime I'm on the field, whether it's special teams, offense, just showing what I can do in those situations,” Taylor said. “And him [Bill Belichick] coming from the NFL, I know special teams is a huge process, like we have more guys on this roster, but just finding any little things that I can do to just showcase that, and just listen to what he says in the meetings. Every little thing is important, and just trying to implement the fundamentals in my game, just showing what I can do."

Taylor’s work ethic and productivity during the offseason have caught the attention of Belichick, embodying the mantra he and his staff have emphasized to players: smart, tough and dependable.

"Smart guy, very dependable, can play multiple positions, has been productive in multiple areas. Down the field, as a route runner and making adjustments in the passing game based on rolled coverage, off coverage, press coverage," Belichick said of Taylor. "He's one of the players that the quarterbacks have a lot of confidence and trust in, that he's earned through making good decisions and being dependable over multiple days, weeks and routes."

That’s high praise from one of the greatest coaches in the sport. Belichick owns six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the New England Patriots and two more as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants from 1984 to 1990, when he coached former Carolina star Lawrence Taylor.

For Taylor, it took a while for him to get used to being coached by Belichick, but now he’s gotten used to it.

"Right now? It's definitely normal now. I've been with him since January, so I didn't get to stay with him, have conversation with him, just build over time,” Taylor said. “And, you know, it's still kind of crazy, like, wow, Bill Belichick is your coach. But, I mean, we're getting close to the season, so it's like, I mean, it's just there. I still kind of get some questions from friends. They're like, so how is he, stuff like that? I'm just like, I mean, he's a regular person, just like us. So it's pretty normal now, I'm used to it."

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