‘We’ve got a lot of work to do’: UNC’s Belichick says after disappointing season

RALEIGH — Bill Belichick’s first collegiate season ended the way it began: with a blowout loss on a big stage.

Belichick, one of the greatest NFL coaches of all-time, finished his first season at North Carolina at 4-8 after rival NC State pummeled the Tar Heels 42-19 at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night.

“You can see we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Belichick said.

That work will start immediately. Recruits can begin signing on Wednesday and, with UNC not headed to a bowl game for the first time since 2018, the remaking of the roster is the top priority for Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi. UNC has more than 35 incoming commitments.

Belichick didn’t want to get into a season recap or discuss the future Saturday night with NC State fans still celebrating in the stadium.

“The season just ended like a few minutes ago,” Belichick said. “Okay, and so now we’re going to move into the offseason. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Belichick’s hire in December was heralded by university leadership, including Chancellor Lee Roberts, as a sign of the school’s commitment to big-time football. Belichick, who had never coached in college, won six Super Bowl titles as head coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots and earned a place among the very best to ever coach in the league. 

Belichick’s stature in the game drew unprecedented attention to the Tar Heels’ football program from the outset, both for the on-field intrigue and the off-field headlines generated around his relationship with girlfriend Jordon Hudson.

Even if there would be growing pains with a new-look roster that included 70 new plays, including many brought in after spring practice, few thought the Tar Heels — playing one of the weakest ACC schedules possible — would struggle so badly. 

UNC was blown out by TCU 48-14 in its highly anticipated season opener.

The offense was among the worst in the nation. The defense showed signs of improvement in the middle of the season, but couldn’t get off the field against Duke or NC State. Discipline, a Belichick calling card, disappeared in the final weeks. UNC committed double digit penalties in three of its last four games, including 23 total against Duke and NC State. And those are just the ones that were accepted.

“We’ll go back and take a look at it and find ways to improve,” Belichick said. “And try to improve it. No doubt, that’s exactly what we’ll do.”

The Tar Heels went 0-8 against FBS teams that won five or more games on the season and were swept by in-state foes Wake Forest, Duke and NC State for the first time since 1989.

“We didn’t expect the season to go like this, of course,” said wide receiver Jordan Shipp, one of the program’s bright spots. “Nobody expects to go 4-8, whatever we were. Nobody expects to go like that. Definitely unexpected.”

Shipp, a true sophomore from Charlotte, said “of course” when asked if he would return to the program next season.

“We know what we could do better, what we did good,” Shipp said. “Coaches know. It’s not like we’re starting back from literally square one, like we did back in December. We have a foundation set. Now we just got to keep building on it. The good thing about the bottom is it’s sturdy enough to build off of.”

Shipp said the team needed to play with more effort on every play and play smarter football.

“We have the greatest coach of all time,” Shipp said. “I feel like that kind of sets the landscape for itself. We didn’t have the best season this year, but people understand it’s not common where a new coach gets there a couple months before the season and y’all go undefeated and play in the playoff. Like things happen.”

Linebacker Khmori House, a transfer from Washington, was less certain when asked about his plans for next season. House called the season a “rollercoaster.” Players can transfer multiple times without sitting out a season. The Tar Heels will have to keep their own best players, while trying to land impact players from other programs. 

Lombardi downplayed the effectiveness of the portal in a late September letter to donors, which was obtained by WRAL through a public records request. He called it “a cash cow.” 

“It is expensive, and you pay a premium, which is fine to fill starting roles,” he wrote. “The portal is like free agency in the NFL, good for filling specific holes in the roster, not conducive to fill depth and developing talent. We need the high school foundation to support this solution. Since Bill and I didn’t arrive until after the December 3rd signing date, the 2026 class will be our first and needs to be our best.” 

Lombardi said the program plans to sign upwards of 40 high school players. 

How quickly can a crop of freshmen, no matter how talented, be counted on to win games in the ACC?  Belichick signed a five-year deal, but only the first three years are guaranteed. Most of his assistant coaches signed two-year deals. And in 2026, unlike 2025, the Tar Heels face a very difficult schedule.

“We know, internally, that we’re not as bad as our record shows,” Shipp said. “We’re not. We’re just a couple plays away, a couple yards away, a couple inches away. It’s really a game of inches.”