The North Carolina Tar Heels are 2-2 before they enter the bye week. There was a huge expectation on the program when Bill Belichick was announced as the head coach. However, the first season at the collegiate level was not that impressive. The ex-NFL coach lost his debut game against the TCU Horned Frogs by 14-48, but bounced back with back-to-back wins against Charlotte (20-3) and Richmond (41-6). However, they lost their fourth game to the UCF Knights by 9-34.

After a much-needed bye week, the Tar Heels will host the Clemson Tigers on October 4. This is their first conference match-up, as every other team in the Atlantic Coast Conference had at least played a conference game. Since the program lost two games in the non-conference schedule, the upcoming matches will decide their playoff chances. Ahead of their big game, a close friend of Bill Belichick admits that the ex-NFL coach is pushing favoritism in the locker room.

On the latest edition of Carolina Insider’s College Football Live Podcast, Carolina Football GM Michael Lombardi and Head Coach Bill Belichick joined the show. Observing the discussion, football insider Brian Murphy wrote on X, “Lombardi says Belichick meets with players one-on-one on Friday afternoons, showing them tape from the week of practice. He says it’s as many as 50 that he’s personally coaching in those sessions.”

The current roster of the Tar Heels features 105 players, of whom only 50 are being coached. While for others, the coach meets them one-on-one on Friday afternoons and shows them the tape from that week’s practice. He believes that it will motivate the others, giving them hope: “If they do well, they get to start playing.” They consider it really important for their program and give their talents the chance they deserve. 

In the latter part of the interview, Lombardi was asked about the spring ball being cancelled for this season. To which the GM said that they felt like a disconnected team, “because not everybody was going to stay on the team.” He said that either they were leaving or they would ask them to leave. Based on the statements, we can assume that there will only be limited changes in the roster this season.

Michael Lombardi and Bill Belichick Puts Culture Over Score

In the same interview, Lombardi addressed where the team stands and his thoughts on the current situation. The GM said, “We’re 2-2. We’ve taken our lumps in two games. But we can get this program to where it’s going to be. And it’s because of the program, not because of me or Bill. It’s just the way the program is.” 

When asked about what they prioritize as a program, Lombardi kept culture on top over the score. He believes that the culture will take care of the score. Lombardi said, “The score will take care of itself once you have the culture in place,” saying “culture comes first.” We need to wait and watch, if the culture and the new coaching strategy favour UNC against CLE this Saturday, in their first conference game.

Taking a look at their previous clashes, the Tigers have the upper hand with a 40-19-1 record. In which the Tar Heels won 11 of their home games, losing 16 and tying 1. In the last ten games they played, North Carolina won only one game, that too was 15 years ago in 2010. Their last meeting in 2023, where North Carolina lost the game by 20-31. What are your thoughts on the new coaching strategy of Bill Belichick and their program? Share with us in the comment section below.