To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2025. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region.
Allegations of fake news. Secret trips to Saudi Arabia. Morning Ludacris concerts. These were just some of the sensational headlines floating over Kenan Stadium this past season. And if you’ve noticed, none of them are about football.
Welcome to Chapel Bill, Year 1.
The offseason was as dramatic – perhaps even more so – than UNC’s actual games. The Tar Heels were set to be the first-ever college program to appear on HBO’s long-running series “Hard Knocks.” Then they weren’t. UNC advertised its annual spring football event, which would be the public’s first look at Belichick’s Tar Heels, as “Practice Like a Pro.” The crowd was small, and the event itself difficult to parse.
Later in the spring, The Athletic published a report detailing the high level of involvement in the program of Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordon Hudson. Hudson, whose 49-year age gap with Belichick had been the subject of non-stop scrutiny, had reportedly requested to be copied on all emails sent to Belichick. The growing media firestorm came to a head on April 27, when Belichick gave a now-infamous interview on “CBS Sunday Morning.” Originally intended to promote a new book by Belichick, the interview was overshadowed by Hudson, who interrupted reporter Tony Dokoupil’s question about how Belichick and Hudson met, declaring, “We’re not talking about this.”
Belichick hit back at CBS a few days later, decrying what he called a “false narrative” presented throughout the piece. CBS stood by its reporting. With more and more publicity swirling around Belichick and Hudson – and, by extension, UNC – the university moved quickly. In May, the school hired Brandon Faber, a former public relations chief in the NFL, to work with Belichick. Faber would oversee every Belichick media session for the remainder of the year. Belichick would later tell ESPN that Hudson “doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.” Undeterred, investigative journalist Pablo Torre reported Hudson had been banned from the program’s facilities. UNC released a statement that same day saying Hudson was “welcome,” though it did clarify that she was not a UNC employee.
In July, as anticipation for the upcoming season continued to build, Front Office Sports reported the Tar Heels would be featured on a season-long docuseries on the Hulu streaming service. The university itself confirmed the news later in the summer.
And this was before a single game was played.
Monday, Sept. 1 dawned as a perfect day for football in Chapel Hill. Fans across the country couldn’t wait to see what the day would bring. UNC was hosting TCU in Kenan Stadium that night, with the eyes of the world trained on Belichick’s Tar Heels. ESPN had brought out the big guns for the broadcast, with a special pregame show featuring former Alabama head coach (and Belichick assistant) Nick Saban.
A sellout crowd – Kenan’s biggest and rowdiest in years – flocked to Chapel Hill for the game. And for a few minutes, it looked as if UNC’s coaching gamble had paid off. The Tar Heels took their first possession straight down the field and into the end zone, slicing up the Horned Frog defense with ease. It was 7-0 Carolina, and visions of championships were dancing in Tar Heel heads.
But there was still more of the story to be written. UNC’s offense sputtered. The defense faltered. The Horned Frogs scored, scored and scored again. TCU led 20-7 at halftime and would not let up after the break. The Horned Frogs eventually scored 41 consecutive points on their way to a 48-14 win. In the end, the awe-inspiring spectacle of a jam-packed Kenan Stadium gave way to a familiar sight: half-empty sections watching the dying breaths of a humbling loss.
A UNC fan reacts to the Tar Heels’ 48-14 loss to TCU. (Image via UNC-Chapel Hill/Jon Gardiner)
Carolina victories in the next two weeks against Charlotte and Richmond may have given the Tar Heels a winning record, but they were not enough to stop the oncoming avalanche. In Week 4, UNC traveled to Orlando to face UCF and was no match for the Knights. The offense struggled once again in the 34-9 loss. Starting quarterback Gio Lopez, a transfer from South Alabama who UNC had reportedly paid millions of dollars to sign, exited early with an injury – after also doing so in Week 1 against TCU.
A showdown with Clemson on Oct. 4 was even worse. Though the Tigers themselves had also struggled mightily to start the season, they had no trouble with the Tar Heels. Clemson opened up a 28-3 lead by the end of the first quarter, effectively ending the game before halftime.
A North Carolina fan holds a drawing of a sad face as the team struggles against Clemson late in the second half in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
The week before the game, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi had reportedly sent an email to program boosters and donors in which he asked for patience while the program rebuilds. Chancellor Lee Roberts, who had been instrumental in hiring Belichick in the first place, conveyed a similar message at a meeting of the university’s Board of Trustees. When Belichick and various Tar Heel players were asked about a rebuild after the 38-10 loss to the Tigers, neither would commit to that idea.
UNC’s 2025 schedule presented an interesting quirk: the Tar Heels had two bye weeks sandwiched around the Clemson game on Oct. 4. But the second of those two open dates would be anything but restful.
Just two days after the Clemson game went final, WRAL published an explosive investigative report detailing a “toxic” environment within Belichick’s program. It cited parents and families of players who described the head coach as inaccessible and Lombardi as “nasty.” The report also indicated players had been selling game tickets, which is a violation of NCAA rules. The very next day, UNC assistant coach Armond Hawkins was suspended for providing a player’s family with impermissible benefits. That same day, Oct. 7, Inside Carolina reported the Hulu docuseries chronicling the UNC football season had been scrapped.
Oct. 8 brought more rumors. Numerous sources implied Belichick’s time at UNC was short, and that an “exit strategy” was being discussed by the two parties. That night, Belichick and UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham both released brief statements on social media pushing back on those reports and confirming Belichick’s commitment to the university.
Belichick would later call the reports of his impending exit “fake news” and “just a bunch of garbage.”
“I’m sure there’s a lot of other people that want to get clicks and views and posts,” he said.
After that bye week to end all bye weeks, UNC returned to the field for a cross-country road trip to Cal. And the game began about as well as the Clemson game had – Carolina fumbled on its first offensive play, and the Bears capitalized with a touchdown on the ensuing possession.
But something unexpected happened: Carolina hung in after its disastrous start. The Tar Heels recovered from the early setback and matched the Bears blow-for-blow, and cut what had been a 21-10 deficit to 21-18 in the fourth quarter after a touchdown and a two-point conversion. On the strength of a suddenly stout defense, UNC got the ball back and drove to the Cal red zone. In the final minutes, Lopez found receiver Nathan Leacock cutting across the middle. Leacock evaded a tackle and lunged for the end zone – but not before a desperate Cal defender reached in and punched the football from his grasp. It rolled into the end zone, and Leacock could not regain his balance to recover it. Cal did and ran out the clock on its ensuing possession to seal the Tar Heel defeat.
That script repeated itself the next week. UNC hosted No. 16 Virginia at Kenan Stadium and came inches away from scoring – twice. In the first quarter, Tar Heel receiver Kobe Paysour caught a Lopez pass and attempted to sneak the football inside the end zone pylon for a touchdown. Unfortunately, in the process he lost control of the ball, giving it back to Virginia on a touchback.
The game went to overtime tied at 10-10. After Virginia scored a touchdown on its possession, UNC answered with a touchdown of its own. Belichick elected to go for a game-winning two-point conversion. The result of the game would hinge on that play. Lopez faced pressure from the Cavalier defense and completed a pass to running back Ben Hall, but Hall had to work through multiple Virginia tacklers to reach the end zone. He evaded one and tried to muscle his way through another, and very nearly pulled off the herculean feat. But his lunge for paydirt came up short – about as close as possible without scoring. UNC lost again, 17-16.
UNC’s Ben Hall lunges for the end zone against Virginia. (Image via Chapel Hill Media Group/Chance Bragg)
Two games, both decided by mere inches, and both going the way of the opposition. UNC was 2-5 when it very well could have been 4-3. It seemed like fate was against the Tar Heels.
But even the most pessimistic observers couldn’t deny one thing: Carolina was improving. The team which had failed to show up against Clemson was not the same team which took both Cal and Virginia down to the wire. And on Halloween night, UNC finally had something to show for its improvement: a 27-10 win at Syracuse which saw the Tar Heels score 21 unanswered points after trailing at halftime. It was Carolina’s first win of the season against a power conference foe.
The next week, at home against Stanford, UNC doubled down and beat the Cardinal 20-15, holding off a late rally after taking a 20-3 lead.
North Carolina wide receiver Jordan Shipp (1) runs for a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Stanford, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)
Suddenly, the Tar Heels were a more respectable 4-5. A bowl berth, which at one point would have seemed purely delusional, was now within reach. All Carolina needed to do was to win two of its last three games. The opponents were all familiar foes: Wake Forest on the road, Duke at home and NC State on the road. All appeared to be superior teams to UNC, but none were so dominant as to make the notion of a Carolina victory improbable. Tar Heel fans were daring to dream once again.
Winston-Salem was where those dreams crashed back to earth. The Demon Deacons, fresh off an upset win at Virginia the week before, outmuscled the Tar Heels and kept the UNC offense out of the end zone entirely in a 28-12 loss. Belichick drew criticism when he called a late timeout as Wake Forest was attempting to run out the clock in the red zone. The result? One more Demon Deacon touchdown for good measure.
Now 4-6, UNC needed to beat both Duke and NC State to secure a bowl berth. And against the Blue Devils, Carolina appeared ready to take that first step. The Tar Heels overcame a 24-10 deficit in the third quarter and scored 15 unanswered points to take the lead, one they would hold for much of the fourth quarter.
With 2:28 remaining, the Blue Devils lined up for a 44-yard field goal — a makeable kick, but not a sure thing. As it turned out, the kick was never attempted: Duke faked the field goal and instead pitched the ball to kicker Todd Pelino, who ran 26 yards down to the 1-yard line. The stunning play led to a go-ahead touchdown on the next snap, and UNC never recovered. Duke won, 32-25, and all but ended UNC’s bowl hopes.
Duke kicker Todd Pelino, right, runs a fake field goal-attempt for a first down as North Carolina defensive end Smith Vilbert (8) pursues during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.)
The season finale at NC State didn’t go any better. The Wolfpack blitzed the Tar Heels from the outset with 28 first-half points on their way to a 42-19 win in which UNC was never competitive. It was NC State’s fifth straight win against Carolina. The Tar Heels would finish the 2025 season – one which started with so much hype due both to Belichick’s presence and a seemingly manageable schedule – with a 4-8 record, the program’s worst since 2018.
Chapel Bill, by the numbers
1989 – The last season in which UNC lost to Wake Forest, Duke and NC State. Carolina finished 1-10 that year.
129th – UNC finished 129th out of 134 FBS teams in total offense, managing only 289 yards per game. Among power conference teams, only Wisconsin was worse.
27 – The Tar Heels never scored more than 27 points against an FBS foe. Even against lowly Charlotte, arguably the worst FBS program in the country, Carolina only scored 20 points. In 2024, UNC eclipsed 27 points eight different times.
9 – Carolina’s nine lost fumbles in 2025 tied for 118th out of 134 FBS teams. Only four power conference teams lost more fumbles than the Tar Heels: Arizona State, Florida State, Wake Forest and Baylor.
70 – UNC’s roster turnover from 2024 to 2025 was highly publicized, and for good reason. Between incoming freshman and transfers, the Tar Heels brought in 70 new players, a staggering number. Two out of every three Carolina players wore a different uniform the previous fall. Some, such as second team All-ACC honoree Melkart Abou-Jaoude (a transfer from Delaware) were success stories. Others, such as Lopez (only 10 passing touchdowns in 11 games), were not.
$30 million – The amount of guaranteed money UNC is paying Bill Belichick across three seasons. His contract also includes options for a fourth and fifth season with the same $10 million per year salary.
4 – The 2025 season was the fourth in a row in which UNC closed the season with at least three consecutive losses.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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