North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick has received yet another tough prediction.
When Bill Belichick accepted the North Carolina Tar Heels head-coaching job back in December 2024, no one really knew what to expect.
How would Belichick's style translate to the collegiate level considering he had never coached in the NCAA ranks before? Would he turn North Carolina into a top-flight program? Would he just be mediocre? Or would he flame out?
Well, based on Year 1, the latter appears to be a legitimate possibility, as the Tar Heels went just 4-8 and failed to qualify for a bowl game for the first time since 2018.
However, Belichick still surely needs some time to build the program. He didn't exactly have a long runway to put together a proper roster last year, and it should be noted that UNC seems to have made some significant strides since then.
That being said, Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic still expects North Carolina to have a new coach by 2030, and he thinks it might happen as soon as next winter.
In fact, Russo has already identified Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman of Belichick's eventual replacement.
North Carolina Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick. Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images."Based on the assumption that North Carolina is going to be looking for a new coach by December, Hetherman should be a hot commodity among coordinators after transforming The U’s defense," Russo wrote.
Is it possible that the Tar Heels could move on from Belichick as soon as next December? I guess we can't entirely rule it out if things continue to go south in Chapel Hill, especially if it comes with more negative press.
Belichick's debut campaign at UNC really could not have gone worse. Whether it was his inability to lead his team to victories on the field or his conduct off of it, there really were no silver linings in the 73-year-old's inaugural season at North Carolina.
The good news, though, is that Belichick has put together a top-20 recruiting class for 2026 and also seems to be making some nice headway for 2027, as the Tar Heels seem to be rather ubiquitous on the lists of many top prospects.
Of course, the question is whether or not UNC can actually start closing the deal on these elite recruits and ultimately end up keeping them from transferring.
North Carolina will open up against TCU for the second straight year on Aug. 29.
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