Bill Belichick Enters Year 2 at UNC With Less Drama but More Questions

The lead-up to Bill Belichick’s second season as North Carolina’s football coach has been quieter.

Not that Belichick’s every move hasn’t remained open for evaluation.

While there’s still plenty of scrutiny, there hasn’t been as much of the fanfare that developed by this time a year ago. Holding a career record of 4-8 as a collegiate coach will do that.

But Belichick will be in the spotlight as the Tar Heels open the season Saturday against TCU in Dublin, Ireland, in one of the few games in Week 0 that involves a power-conference team.

Belichick has pointed out that the past months have been more predictable for him and his staff now that they’re no longer college newbies. He has expressed confidence that improvement has been regularly on display in recent months.

So on that front, Belichick is in charge of a more normal operation than the one that seemed frequently hijacked by headlines regarding his 20-something-year-old girlfriend.

Yet let’s not categorize this as smooth.

General manager Michael Lombardi, who’s Belichick’s buddy from his NFL days, is on paid leave as an investigation is ongoing regarding allegations of an unknown nature. While a would-be rap sheet hasn’t been revealed, this topic could further divide Belichick’s supporters and detractors.

And the start of the season comes with the absence of defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the coach’s son, because of a health issue. That alone brings more questions for a team that will have to rely heavily on defense until players on offense prove they can handle business.

Within the Tar Heels fan base, there have been distractions that might have deflected some of the constant obsession with Belichick. The beloved men’s basketball team underwent a spring coaching change and the developments within that program have been worth paying attention to, while the baseball team reached the championship series of the College World Series.

But now it’s football time and no one is likely to let Belichick off the hook – not the national pundits or those cheering for the Tar Heels.

In some ways, the Tar Heels will look like many other college programs, bringing in a veteran transfer to run the offense at quarterback. Well-traveled Billy Edwards Jr. has been dubbed the starter.

The Tar Heels aren’t devoid of big names in addition to Belichick. North Carolina gave Bobby Petrino, who has NFL background and off-field baggage, a handsome contract to serve as offensive coordinator. So the university hasn’t backed away from supplying resources in attempts to become a factor in big-time college football.

The troubling part for Belichick could come in that even if the Tar Heels are notably improved there’s no guarantee that their record will reflect that.

The first half of the schedule includes a trip to Clemson and a matchup with Notre Dame. Atlantic Coast Conference preseason favorite Miami visits later, while 2025 ACC championship game participants Duke and Virginia are on the schedule and rival North Carolina State is bubbling with considerable expectations.

Year 2 of the Belichick era might be stacking up to be just as dismal as the first, perhaps minus some of the drama.