North Carolina coach Bill Belichick's initial coaching staff is coming together, but the process has been slow going on purpose, the team's general manager said Thursday.

Michael Lombardi, the Tar Heels' GM and team spokesman in the Belichick era, confirmed the hiring of special teams coach Mike Priefer and strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera during his weekly appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

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But Lombardi said criticism that about the slow pace of hiring is not well founded. He said Belichick wanted to wait to see what professional and college coaches might become available when seasons ended.

Belichick announced as his initial press conference that tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens would remain on staff.

"We thought building a staff was probably the last thing we needed to do," said Lombardi, who joined the program at the same time as Belichick. "We need to improve the talent pool here at North Carolina. That was really important to us. And so we needed to build a system of operation within this department. We needed processes and systems put in place so that we're just not randomly offering players. We had to hire certain people to get that. Then we had to hire a strength coach."

Cabrera was the Patriots head strength and conditioning coach from 2016 to 2023. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach from 2011 to 2015. Cabrera also worked in college at Fresno State and Colorado.

Lombardi said Cabrera has hired his entire staff as well.

"Now we can start our offseason program," Lombardi said. "Hiring the receiver coach, hiring the o-line coach, we were going to wait until the time was right, until we got everybody in the building so that all the staffs could work together, interview those people at one time. We're not just throwing this out there. This is well thought out. The guy's won six Super Bowls. He's put together a staff before."

Priefer, a Navy graduate who started his career as a graduate assistant at Navy, has spent the last two-plus decades in the NFL. He has been a special teams coordinator for four different organizations since 2006.

"For your special teams coach, you want someone who understands player personnel because it's a match-up game," Lombardi said.

Armond Hawkins Jr., who coached at the University of Washington last season, announced on social media that he would be joining the Tar Heels to coach cornerbacks.

UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, Bill's son, also coached at Washington in 2024. The Tar Heels have not announced the younger Belichick's hire.

The Tar Heels have added three transfers from Washington, too. Wide receiver Jason Robinson, safety Peyton Waters and linebacker Khmori House have committed to UNC.

Former Western Kentucky offensive coordinator Will Friend is reportedly joining the Tar Heels as offensive line coach, ESPN reported.

The Tar Heels have reportedly hired Matt Lombardi, Michael Lombardi's son, as an offensive assistant and Chris Jones, a former Canadian Football League head coach, as a defensive assistant. Lombardi was an offensive analyst at Oregon in 2024. Jones has 22 years of CFL experience and worked with Kitchens with the Cleveland Browns.

Billy Miller, a longtime coach at powerhouse IMG Academy, is joining the staff, too, according to reports.

Joe Anile has been hired as the team's director of player personnel, Andrew Blaylock is the assistant director of player personnel, and Cory Giddings has been hired in the personnel department.

Lombardi also downplayed any reports that Belichick might want to return to the NFL.

"This is where he wants to be," Lombardi said.

Outside of television appearances with McAfee or Peyton and Eli Manning and an interview on College GameDay, Belichick hasn't spoken with the media since his initial press conference, even amid stories from NFL reporters that Belichick could be considered for coaching vacancies in the league.

"Everyone says why isn't Bill speaking out," Lombardi said. "Bill doesn't speak out. That's what I'm supposed to do as the general manager here is to let people know what's going on with our program. He's not going anywhere."