The dominoes of Bill Belichick’s 2025 roster are starting to fall after a 4-8 season. So far, a plethora of players have already decided to enter the portal, and many will follow suit. WR Aziah Johnson announced it even before the season started in September. Now, the latest announcement came from defensive back Malcolm Ziglar.

UNC’s best player in 2025 has also decided to do the same.

ON3’s Hayce Fawcett reported that UNC’s ace edge rusher, Tyler Thompson, has finally decided to enter the transfer portal. The decision comes as a major setback for UNC as it is already set to lose LB Khmori House. The 6’4″ and 245 lbs edge rusher had 26 tackles, 7 sacks, 8 TFLs, and 2 FFs to his name this season.

Plus, he was the best player on the field, earning a PFF grade of 85, and was the 4th-highest sack leader in the ACC. Thompson joined UNC as a four-star 320th overall recruit under Mack Brown in 2023. Although he didn’t have his breakthrough under Brown, and was used sporadically. The talent was always there to be exploited in the Carry, North Carolina native. Bill Belichick did just that, and the sophomore rose through the ACC’s rankings.

Unfortunately, the edge rusher’s departure won’t be the only one Belichick will endure. Defensive back Malcolm Ziglar is also planning to do the same after spending two seasons at Chapel Hill. Ziglar, however, was used rarely in UNC’s defense and has totaled 12 tackles in two seasons. Despite that, the four-star 2022 recruit has a better future ahead. The Fuquay-Varina native was the 163rd overall prospect in the 2024 cycle and was the second-ranked prospect in the class.

Belichick’s 2026 departees also include wide receiver Kenedy Uzoma, announced on December 13, and tight end Jake Johnson. RB Davison Gause and OL Miles McWay also announced the same on December 5, along with QB Max Johnson and DB Khalil Conley. Other names comprise WR Javarius Green, OL Jani Norwood, DB Ty White, WR Jason Robinson, and Chris Culliver. Plus, OL William Boone, TE Yasir Smith, and WR Paul Bilups are doing the same. It’s a tricky situation for the UNC head coach, and it remains to be seen what his recruiting philosophy will be in 2026.

Bill Belichick is trying to come back to relevance with two firings

Belichick is officially staying with UNC as the program is persisting with the $50 million head coach. But the results this year would certainly need to come, or even the NFL’s GOAT can face the axe. To do that, Belichick has done some staffing shakeups and fired OC Freddie Kitchens along with special teams cordinator Mike Priefer.

“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes. We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavor,” said Belichick in a statement. Under Kitchens’ helm, the offense was simply put woeful. The Tar Heels ranked 131st in total offense, 119th in redzone offense, and 121st in scoring offense. UNC also stood lower than some G-5 teams in key areas.

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The Tar Heels couldn’t even manage to accumulate 25 touchdowns. Only 7 teams in the country scored fewer than Freddie Kitchens’ offense as UNC was limited to just 20 points in seven games. Demand among the UNC fans was also widespread, calling for Kitchens’ firing. Now, as per reports, Belichick is eyeing Arkansas interim head coach Bobby Petrino (per ON3’s Pete Nakos) for the same job. But it remains to be seen if that pans out.