Why UNC Must Acknowledge its Football Tradition

Are the Tar Heels finally embracing the history of its football program?

Mar 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Former North Carolina Tar Heels great Lawrence Taylor with head football coach Bill Bellichick together during a time out in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

On this episode of the Tar Heels Insider Podcast, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI Lead beatwriter Grant Chachere discusses UNC finally acknowledging its football tradition under Bill Belichick.

To watch, check out the video below!

Partial Transcript from UNC Wide Receiver Alex Taylor's Press Conference on Aug. 20

Q: How are you doing? This team had a lot of players transfer out in the offseason, but a lot of the wide receiver group stayed here, including Kobe Paysour, who went into the portal and came back out. What was it about that room that you think helped a lot of you guys stay around under the coaching transition from Coach Brown to Coach Belichick?

 Alex Taylor: Really, we loved UNC as a whole, school-wise. It's a great education. A lot of us guys were really close, so just talking to each other, seeing what we were thinking, and then we had Coach Belichick's heart — too hard to pass up on that. Then Coach McGee came in, and we talked to him. We liked everything that he talked about, so that's really why we just decided to stay here and keep building.

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels helmet on the field before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Q: A lot of the senior group graduated last year, guys like JJ. Who stepped up early on in camp as a senior leader in that room?

Taylor: We're a young group, so Coach McGee knew that coming in. He told us we were going to have to make plays early, so really everybody's just been making plays and taking the most of our opportunity. That's really just everybody stepping up and getting better each day.

Q: What do you feel were some of the main lessons you learned in your first year of college? And what would you consider some of the strengths of your game this year?

Taylor: One thing I learned is just be patient. At least for time, we can do some drop-ins. I know we get a lot to show after last year, so it's kind of a motivation factor for me just to show what I can do. Take your time, learn what you can from the older guys. Like you said, we had guys like JJ last year, and I learned a lot from them. So just really building off that and showing the younger guys now what I can do.  I feel like some of my strengths are catching, making saves, looking to keep the ball so we can turn the river. Just try to have a little angle on it and get some on my way.