Bill Belichick faces skepticism from ESPN analysts as his new offensive coordinator and quarterback face questions ahead of North Carolina's crucial spring football season.
After a 4-8 first season, North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is hoping the college football learning curve is behind him as the team gets ready for 15 practices during spring football.
A poorly put-together roster explains part of the reason UNC couldn't compete against most Power 4 programs last season.
To Belichick's credit, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach of the New England Patriots revamped his recruiting efforts and added talented players in the transfer portal.
Belichick also made some big decisions with his coaching staff, opting to fire offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens (and move on from quarterback Gio Lopez).
Former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino will be the new offensive coordinator in Chapel Hill, and is set to team up with quarterback Billy Edwards.
Andrea Adelson and David Hale of ESPN warned that Petrino and Edwards might not be the fix Belichick was hoping for in the offseason.
"Petrino's history would suggest far more explosiveness in 2026, but Edwards has yet to fulfill the promise his talent suggests at three prior schools, and for all of Petrino's history of success calling plays, his personality has rubbed many the wrong way over the years," they wrote.
"Mix that with what was occasionally a pretty toxic situation in Chapel Hill already, and it's every bit as likely this all blows up as it is that the offense suddenly figures out how to score points at a more prolific pace."
Edwards appeared in just two games for Wisconsin last season, throwing for 118 yards. He threw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions for Maryland in 2024.
The senior will need to have a breakout season to help North Carolina compete for an ACC title. Petrino had a solid offense at Arkansas, but the coaching staff was fired after going 2-10 overall and 0-8 in the SEC.
Maybe the ACC title isn't what UNC should focus on in Year 2 under Belichick. The Tar Heels need to not be embarrassed like they were last season.
A bowl game would certainly help, but North Carolina should try to end the season a few games above .500.
Maybe the addition of Edwards and Petrino will help, but there doesn't seem to be much confidence in the national media that those two will move the needle.