After a dismal four-win debut, the six-time Super Bowl champion claims a talent-infused roster and disciplined recruiting will finally transform the North Carolina Tar Heels into ACC contenders this fall.
For most of last season, North Carolina was a punching bag for Power 4 programs, especially in the ACC.
UNC finished with a 4-8 record last season, and won just two ACC games against Syracuse and Stanford.
Year 1 was an embarrassment for head coach Bill Belichick, who came to the college ranks after winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots.
Things got off to a bumpy start early in his tenure when he failed to recruit players who could compete in the ACC.
During the ACC Kickoff media event on Friday, Belichick told reporters that North Carolina's ability to operate was much better this year than it was in 2025. He put UNC's opponents on notice for the upcoming season, arguing the talent level of the Tar Heels would be much better this fall.
"Most of the national publications ... ranked us in the top 15 in your recruiting class," Belichick said, via ESPN. "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."
The process will be won for Belichick to juggle this fall. North Carolina needs to win more games this season for future recruits to buy into his program.
While the talent on the Tar Heels roster looks better on paper, and the coaching staff received a notable upgrade with offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, the team's schedule will be much harder this season, with TCU, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Pitt on the schedule in four of their first five games.
Belichick noted that UNC's roster was not god enough last season, as no Tar Heels were drafted in April. He didn't think North Carolina made enough progress in Year 1.
"We took some steps, but we're nowhere close to where we wanted to be," Belichick said. "We had too many penalties, we had too many turnovers. We couldn't convert on third down, fourth down defensively.
"We had too many fourth-down conversions where we had to stay on the field."
UNC must show improvement in those areas, but most importantly, Belichick needs to add more numbers to the win total. Another losing season would detrimental to the program, who parted ways with legendary coach Mack Brown for doing much better.
