General Managers Michael Lombardi and Jim Tanner Change Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels' football and men's basketball programs are moving into a new era with the addition of general managers. Michael Lombardi is overseeing Bill Belichick's roster and Jim Tanner doing the same for Hubert Davis' squad, respectively, and the two happen to become factors in a crucial moment of time.

Last season, under former head coach Mack Brown, the football team struggled to find wins during his second stint in Chapel Hill. The involvement of injuries at the quarterback position made things worse. However, GM Lombardi brings three decades worth of NFL experience that will be beneficial to the players and coaching staff, similar to Coach Belichick's career in the NFL, winning six Super Bowls as a head coach.

Here is what GM Lombardi had to say stepping into the role, per GoHeels:

"Working with Coach Belichick has always been one of the most rewarding times of my life," Lombardi said. "Reuniting here at UNC is a dream come true. Chapel Hill is a magical place, and the University is one of the greatest in the country. I'm thankful to Chancellor Lee Roberts and Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham for the opportunity to restore greatness to UNC football and make all of the great players who came before us proud of our team."

On the other hand, GM Tanner is the first person to have such a position within the men's basketball team, where he brings his skills as the founder of Tandem Sports + Entertainment to the table. He contributed a ton this offseason alongside Coach Davis, gathering a bunch of new faces following a first-round exit in this year's NCAAT.

West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell, Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson, Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans, Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young, and international player Luka Bogavac are all Tar Heels now, previously big factors at their prior schools (and in Bogavac's case, professional team).

Below is what GM Tanner said on his new job, provided on GoHeels:

"Both of my kids and I went to Carolina and we owe so much as a family to this university," says Tanner. "This is such an exciting opportunity, and I couldn't be more thrilled. The landscape of college basketball has changed dramatically in a short period of time with NIL, collectives and the transfer portal. It's a highly-competitive and constantly-evolving environment. I look forward to using my 28 years of experience recruiting and representing players to help position UNC as strategic, adaptive and innovative in scouting and attracting top domestic and international talent while staying true to the principles and values that have defined Carolina Basketball over the years."

A year from now, both the football and men's basketball season's would be concluded, and the conversation then would be what kind of results both GMs found after their first season on the job.

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