Bill Belichick’s much-anticipated debut season at UNC ended not with a bang, but with the whimper of a 4-8 record and one of the ACC’s most anemic offenses. However, the Tar Heels’ first major move to fix a broken offense may have just created their first major problem.

As per reports, UNC has hired Bobby Petrino as its new offensive coordinator after Freddie Kitchens was fired after the regular season. But the hiring resulted in an instant backfire. On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported that UNC’s true freshman QB Bryce Baker plans to enter the transfer portal.

Baker is a 4-star recruit of North Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class. He was a backup quarterback for Gio Lopez and didn’t see any action throughout the season.

Not only did Baker not get a chance on the field, but the staff also buried him in the depth chart, moving fellow freshman quarterback Au’Tori Newkirk over him. Newkirk appeared in two games and completed three of six passes for 23 yards for a touchdown and an interception.

The decision to join UNC didn’t go as well as Bryce Baker had hoped. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder from East Forsyth High School was the first commit after Bill Belichick was announced as UNC’s new head coach. As a high school prospect, Baker was a dual-sport athlete who played both basketball and football. In his senior year in high school, Baker threw for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also ran for 303 yards and six touchdowns and led East Forsyth to a 13-1 record and a berth in the state quarterfinals.

The remarkable play earned him the 87th overall prospect ranking in the country and the 9th highest-ranked quarterback in the 2025 class. He received offers from 11 top schools across the country. It included James Madison, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Maryland, Louisville, Florida, Duke, Boston, Penn State, and more. But he enrolled with North Carolina and was an in-state blue-chip and fan favorite. 

Losing him in the transfer portal could be a hard blow for the Tar Heels. Baker is the 20th North Carolina player to announce his interest in entering the transfer portal on January 2 and the first since Bobby Petrino was hired as UNC’s offensive coordinator.

Bobby Petrino joins Bill Belichick’s staff as new OC

According to On3’s Pete Nakos report, Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino agreed to become the next offensive coordinator of North Carolina on Monday, December 22. 

While the news went viral, UNC sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel that there are still multiple steps remaining before any potential hire is officially announced. The Tar Heels also informed them that no announcement is imminent, and other candidates remain engaged in the process. But reports suggest that North Carolina is fully engaged in hiring Petrino as the new OC.

With that being said, Petrino will take over the Tar Heels, which ranked 119th in the FBS in scoring offense, averaging 19.3 points per game. In total offense, they rank 129th, averaging 288.8 yards per game. Petrino could have a significant impact on the North Carolina offense.

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He led Arkansas this season to average 454.8 yards per game, ranking No. 18 in college football. Before joining the Razorbacks, he called plays for Texas A&M.