Belichick Has Tons To Prove With North Carolina in 2026

The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of the strangest teams in all of college football, and no one truly knows what next season holds for them.

After making a surprise hire for Bill Belichick last offseason to fill their head coaching vacancy, naturally, the expectations soared through the roof for what many had envisioned in the Tar Heels’ future. What transpired was anything but greatness, however.

Nov 29, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick addresses the media after the second half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

UNC Last Season

UNC managed just a 4-8 record last season, its worst since 2018, when it went 2-9, and it was also its second-straight losing season. Additionally, much of the talk surrounding Belichick had less to do with his performance on the sidelines than with his off-the-field relationship status and his widely publicized snubbing from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Couple that with the team’s poor performance, and you get all-around bad vibes surrounding the program.

Not to mention that after the season concluded, the Tar Heels saw over 30 players from last season’s roster hit the transfer portal, including three quarterbacks, and other star talents such as CJ Mims. As such, Belichick and his staff were left with an empty roster once again and had to rebuild from scratch.

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In a way, it’s almost poetic that Belichick — who is no stranger to controversy in his career — brought nearly every possible distraction possible to a team entering a transition period. After that chaotic 2025 season, much of UNC’s top talent hit the transfer portal and found new homes elsewhere, leaving the Tar Heels to essentially rebuild their roster from scratch once again.

UNC coach Bill Belichick during a press conference on Nov. 19, 2025, inside the Kenan Football Center. | Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, all eyes are on UNC to see if they can improve from a dreadful 2025 season and get back on track with a legendary head coach leading the way. ESPN’s Bill Connelly suggests the Tar Heels should focus on simply getting to a bowl game, as anything beyond that doesn’t seem likely.

Nov 29, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of the game against NC State Wolfpack at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Connelly's Thoughts

“The less said about Belichick's collegiate head coaching debut, the better. His first transfer class didn't have nearly as much talent as he and general manager Michael Lombardi seemed to think, and Lombardi's '33rd NFL team' quote got recycled for all the wrong reasons during a dreadful 4-8 campaign,” Connelly said.

“Belichick bears the burden of proof, but it's not hard to see potential improvement if the defense is a top-40 unit and Petrino engineers at least average output. But for reasons good or bad, the Heels will likely be a main character early in the season again: They face TCU in Ireland in Week 0, will visit Clemson in Week 3 and host Notre Dame in Week 5."

Nov 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) celebrates with quarterback Gio Lopez (7) after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"Either they pull an upset and generate some 'Belichick redemption?' headlines, or they start a demoralizing 1-3 with a run of 'Belichick retirement?' headlines.”

Next season will be pivotal for the Tar Heels as they try to bounce back from an inconsistent season last year, and they’ll also try to minimize the distractions in Belichick’s second season at the helm.

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