Can UNC Football Turn Their Momentum Around in 2026?
The hiring of a coach in college football is extremely important not just to the state of the program, but also to the revenue and ratings. A good example of this is Deion Sanders in Colorado, who doesn’t have a great record at the helm and hasn’t won anything yet, but he still is a guru at bringing in talent and turning a once-forgotten program into the talk of the town. The same cannot be said about UNC and their recent head coaching hire, Bill Belichick, who lacks the flashiness and confidence that Sanders has, and the knowledge about recruiting and NIL. This was a questionable hire, not even considering all the drama with his 24-year-old girlfriend. UNC had their options, and whether there was collusion or not, this was never the right choice, and it only dug them into an even deeper hole.
As for the team, it is easy to feel sorry for them, as it appeared that nothing was really working for them during 2025. The Tar Heels went 4-8 along with a 2-7 record in conference, which was way below expectations. It's almost as if Belichick has no feel for the culture of college football and is operating as if he has Tom Brady as his QB and Josh McDaniels as his OC. What UNC does have is a new wide receiver from Wisconsin, Trech Kekahuna, who they brought in from the transfer portal along with 18 other players looking to turn around this team. Chapel Hill has yet to name a starting QB, but there is a lot of competition between Billy Edwards Jr. and Miles O’neill.
Looking at their schedule, they unfortunately got stuck with the tougher half of the ACC, which includes Miami, Louisville, and Clemson. Notre Dame is also there along with TCU, who absolutely obliterated the Tar Heels in coach Bill’s first game under the helm. There is a good chance they can get between five and seven wins, which would be an improvement from last year and maybe encourage Belichick to stay another year or two. Time will tell how good or bad this hire is going to look, but there’s always a chance to be proven wrong.
