Bill Belichick’s UNC has had plenty to deal with before the 2026 season even arrives. The Tar Heels are trying to improve after a 4-8 first season under Bill Belichick, while the coaching staff has lost DC Steve Belichick. Speaking about the responsibilities of his staff, Belichick has now opened up about how things will go without Steve on his staff.
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“We talked about it last week. Nothing’s changed,” Belichick said on August 14 in his training camp presser. “Just going to share some things and, you know, hopefully this will be resolved soon. …It hasn’t really been an issue. People have picked up in areas. We’ve done the things that we had to do at this time of year.”
The comments come after two important figures around Belichick’s program became unavailable within a short period. Michael Lombardi, UNC’s GM, was placed on paid administrative leave by the university on July 27. UNC said the matter involved an ongoing personnel issue and did not disclose further details. ESPN later reported that the university was investigating a human resources complaint involving Lombardi. Then came another major development.
Steve Belichick, Bill’s son and UNC’s defensive coordinator, took an indefinite medical leave from the program. Bill Belichick announced the news on August 5 but did not provide details about his son’s condition or say when he might return. Compared with Lombardi, Steve Belichick’s role is even more directly tied to what happens on the field.
He was entering his second season as defensive coordinator after the Tar Heels’ defense showed improvement in 2025. His unit was one of only two ACC defenses to hold opponents to 21 points or fewer in four straight games. Defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude also recorded 10.5 sacks, which ranked fifth nationally and led the ACC. So the timing is not exactly convenient.
UNC opens the 2026 season against TCU in Dublin on August 29. That leaves Belichick and his staff with only a short window to get everything organized before the first game. Belichick did not give a timetable for either situation. Instead, he pointed out that responsibilities naturally change as the football calendar moves from one phase to another.
“Things will change as they always do on the calendar. As recruiting changes, as the regular season comes into play, so forth. But for this period, it’s been the same until it changes, which will be, you know, in late August, early September.”
Steve’s absence affects the defensive side of the operation now, although Bill has indicated that the staff is continuing to work together. UNC’s official 2026 staff listing still lists Steve Belichick as defensive coordinator and Lombardi as general manager. Translation: the school has not announced permanent replacements for either position. In all, both staff departures seem temporary now.