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“Player evaluation has nothing to do with personal feelings. He would cut his son if he isn’t good enough.”
— Long-time observer of Bill Belichick
Now the heavy lifting begins for Belichick.
The rookie college football coach and legendary NFL “Hoodie” is starting to put his first roster together for the Tar Heels, and it won’t be easy.
Only nine new recruits are coming in and an unknown number of Tar Heels in the transfer portal may come back since the new coach was named. Perhaps placekicker Noah Burnette will be among them.
Belichick and general manager Mike Lombardi will spend time watching the team practice for the December 28 Wasabi Fenway Bowl against UConn, likely going to Boston to attend in person.
They will also watch hours of game and practice tape on the recent season to begin evaluating what they are inheriting, all the while putting their coaching, recruiting and scouting staffs together.
Is Omarian Hampton playing in the bowl and returning for his senior season instead of entering the NFL Draft? If he does make that probable exit, Belichick has to assess the running back room, which lost Caleb Hood to the portal and grad student Darwin Barlow.
Wide receivers J.J. Jones and Nate McCollum are done, along with the tight end duo of Bryson Nesbit and John Copenhaver. And any prospective new targets will want to know who is throwing the ball.
With Conner Harrell leaving and Max Johnson still recovering from his broken leg, the quarterback room will be a major focus. Besides returning starter Jacolby Criswell, what other quarterbacks are in the portal and may want to compete for the position?
Belichick’s aura and reputation might be of interest to players in the portal, especially if he makes the likely hire of Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator. McDaniels and Tom Brady won six Super Bowls together, and is there another potential TB12 out there?
Offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey has taken the same job at Michigan and will not be around to school Belichick and McDaniels, who have to make decisions about a half-dozen returning receivers.
Carolina’s offensive line was thin in Mack Brown’s finale season, and at least two starters who entered the transfer portal are pulling out to see if they like Belichick and whoever his O-line coach is.
Same with every position on the team. What do they have? And who is in the transfer portal and might want to become Tar Heels. These evaluations determine how many recruits and transfers they need.
It is a daunting task for a team with barely 50 players on the active roster. Who is good enough to start and who may be relegated to back-up roles once the reinforcements arrive?
The same for a defense that is losing 10 players from the two-deep that will finish the season. Belichick has not announced whether his son, Steve, will move from Washington to be defensive coordinator. In 2024, the Huskies total defense under the younger Belichick was rated 27th in the country, compared to UNC’s 76th.
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
The hiring of Belichick is just the tip of the iceberg.
Good to hear your take on this Art. Been a lot of noise this week!
Houston, The Whale has landed.
Coach and friends have a daunting task. Not much left to be the foundation of a better program.
Best of luck to a proven winner.