Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick remains sidelined for the Tar Heels' international opener, forcing head coach Bill Belichick to call plays amidst ongoing staff investigations and medical absences.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have been without two key members of its staff through much of training camp this summer and that will wind up bleeding into the regular season.
UNC revealed general manager Michael Lombardi was placed on paid administrative leave this summer amid an investigation. That comes as head coach Bill Belichick is open to adding players from the class of 2022 who gained an extra year of eligibility, including athletes who spent time with NFL clubs in training camp.
On the coaching staff, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick has been medical leave for much of camp.
Per Pete Nakos of On3, Belichick is not expected to travel to Dublin, Ireland to coach against TCU in UNC's season opener on Saturday. Defensive line coach Bob Diaco has stepped in to help with game prep. Bill Belichick is expected to call defensive plays against the Horned Frogs.
Bill has been mum on the status of Steve throughout training camp. On Tuesday, the embattled second-year head coach didn't want to offer many details on the status of his son.
"No updates," Belichick said, via Sports Illustrated. "I'm not really going to talk about that situation. We'll work it out."
On Aug. 6, Bill said he hoped Steve would return as soon as possible.
Steve's absence comes as North Carolina attempts to rebound from a 4-8 season in 2025.
During the ACC Kickoff media event in July, Belichick said he believed his roster was better set up for success this fall.
"Most of the national publications ... ranked us in the top 15 in your recruiting class," Belichick said. "So I think if you recruit good players, you're going to have good teams.
"If you don't recruit good players, then you're probably going to have a hard time breaking into that level. So I think we have to consistently bring in good players, continue to work hard, improve and develop them. And I'm confident that we'll be there. It's a process."
North Carolina needs to get off to a hot start this season with a win over TCU, a program that blew them out 48-14 in Chapel Hill last season. UNC has a challenging early schedule that includes Clemson, Notre Dame, Pitt and Duke by mid-October.
