Bill Belichick shares biggest reason for optimism for North Carolina in 2026
By Jacob Moss
Published:
Through all the craziness of the 2025 college football season, it can be easy to forget that the North Carolina Tar Heels had former New England Patriots legend Bill Belichick at the helm of their football program.
Granted, it was a season most would wish to forget in Chapel Hill, as the Tar Heels finished with a 4-8 record and only managed to pick up 2 wins against conference opponents all year.
Despite all of the turbulence his program had to endure in year 1, though, Belichick joined the crew of College GameDay on Monday night ahead of the National Championship to talk about why he’s optimistic about year 2.
“We didn’t really have a recruiting class last year,” Belichick told Pat McAfee. “A lot of new players, 70 new players to start the season. This year, we’re going to be in much better shape in terms of having some continuity and building forward into spring ball. I’m very excited about that.”
It was very apparent to anyone watching that the Heels struggled to find any rhythm in 2025, and that significant roster turnover, as Belichick mentioned, certainly played a massive role in those struggles.
With a full season now under their belt, though, it stands to reason that Year 2 of the Belichick era could be much more exciting than Year 1.
