How Moses Cabrera Is Reshaping UNC Football’s Training Culture

This might be the most “beating a dead horse” statement of all time: the Patriot Way has infiltrated Chapel Hill.

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick has brought a few people that used to work with him when they were all part of the New England Patriots organization including hos sons Brian and Steve, quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi and general manager Mike Lombardi (Matt’s father). However, the most important hire is not one who calls or designs plays but one who makes sure UNC’s players are healthy and are at their peak performance.

During the offseason, Belichick hired another longtime confidant from his NFL days, Moses Cabrera. Cabrera was part of the Patriots’ strength and conditioning staff from 2011 to 2023. After serving as an assistant, he was promoted to head strength and conditioning coach in 2016 and made an immediate impact, helping the Patriots post the fewest players on injured reserve that season en route to a Super Bowl title.

A native of Deming, N.M., Cabrera has previously worked with collegiate athletes as well before his stint with the Patriots. was also an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Fresno State from 2004 to 2009 before joing the strength and conditioning staff at Colorado.

Cabrera's Impact on Carolina is Felt Already

Belichick emphasized just how important Cabrera has been to his teams’ success while with the Patriots. After all, a lot of championships are won in the offseason in the gym or on the field doing condition drills.

"Moses had a huge impact on my career and on the teams that I've coached where he's been the head strength coach,” Belichick said. He's on a great job of training players and also getting them back on the field after they've had some type of medical setback. He's worked with several thousand players and is able to train them regardless of what limitations they might have. There's multiple ways to do different exercises and so forth, so we're able to train all parts of the body and he's increased speed, strength, and explosiveness.”

The players have already noticed how much more in shape they have gotten and their trust in Cabrera has grown because they know he is making them not only getting them in shape but also better football players.

One of the main themes of Carolina’s fall camp has been the praise from both coaches and players for the work that #UNC strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera has done.

"Moses had a huge impact on my career and on the teams that I've coached where he's been the head… pic.twitter.com/gwUEFbv6ap
— Grant Chachere (Sash-Er-Ray) (@ChachereGrant) August 9, 2025

“The runs were crazy, never seen no runs like that,” said redshirt freshman Leroy Jackson. “It was dangerous, I'm going to say that. As we kept doing it from January to now, it kept getting better and better, but it also kept getting harder and harder. He kept raising the level and with Moses, his love is for everybody. When he puts us through those things, we're getting put through it, but we also know that Moses loves us and he's doing it for a reason and he's been doing it for a long time. So, we just got to buy into the process and keep stacking days."

However, Cabrera’s conditioning regimens are based off of position. So while Jackson may be one thing, wide receiver Jordan Shipp will be doing something different..

“He's not going to tell a D-lineman to do something a DB would do,” Jackson said about Caberea knowing each player's strenghs and limitations when it comes to conditioning. “He make sure it's football related, but he makes sure it gets to the right thing and it does what needs to be done before it can prepare for the first."

UNC — North Carolina defensive lineman Leroy Jackson praised Moses Cabrera's training regimens and mentioned that they helped make him and his team better. | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

That individualized approach not only keeps workouts purposeful but it also helps build trust in the coaching staff. When young athletes feel their preparation is tailored to their role on the team, they’re more likely to buy in.

"This team is starting to develop good chemistry, [and] a lot of that comes from the weight room and from their training together, where you start to earn the respect of your teammates through hard work together and that's brought the teamI wouldn't say we're there yet, but certainly moving in the right direction in terms of team chemistry and developing a closeness and respect for each other,” Belichick said.

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