The North Carolina Tar Heels are set to begin their most significant era yet, with NFL veteran coach Bill Belichick at the helm. With him as coach, you know the stakes are sky-high for the Tar Heels. However, his arrival in North Carolina is yet to set things right for the team. The current status of the roster fails to be overshadowed by the weight of the Belichick name. Maybe not all things get the golden touch by way of the legendary coach’s association.

The roster has seen some key players enter the transfer portal. UNC has a situation with their quarterback room, which includes multiple talents. The Tar Heels’ 2024 season was troublesome, as they lost Max Johnson for the remainder of it due to injury. That led players like Jacolby Criswell and Conner Harrell to step up, with the former creating a good impression. Now that the two have bid UNC farewell, the quarterback picture looks a little murky for Bill Belichick.

It might be a near crisis for the Tar Heels, as they currently lack a dependable QB with Johnson still nursing his injury. But Belichick will address the situation when the time comes. ESPN quotes him from the UNC Spring Press Conference last week, saying, “Right now, we’re focused on the players that are here. Whatever happens with the players coming in, or portal players, we’ll deal with all that later.” Belichick made no formal comment about Johnson’s return to the playing field, creating more doubts about the situation.

There are multiple contenders in line for the QB title. They are Purdue transfer Ryan Browne and freshmen Au’tori Newkirk, Bryce Baker, and Gary Merrill. At this point, it truly is too unclear to anticipate who could win the race. Hopefully, Belichick will find a solution as the team prepares to meet TCU this September. Without a strong pick for the role, UNC has to increase efforts in creating one that is fit for the role and Bill Belichick to prosper as head coach.

How are things looking for Max Johnson?

Max Johnson broke his leg at UNC’s season opener against Minnesota last year. His recovery is going well, so Belichick’s hope is still alive. “Max is making a lot of progress. He’s still limited, but he’s definitely getting better. And he’s taking it day by day. Nobody’s put in more work that he has,” Belichick told the press. He seems to be focusing on a day-by-day assessment for Johnson. “… [I]f he has a good day, he could do a little bit more the next day. And if he has a good day, do a little bit more the day after that.”

The Fayetteville Observer reported that in the practice footage made available, Johnson was “stationary” as he threw passes and had a sleeve on his injured leg. This paints a worrying situation for the team, as there is no definite pick for Johnson’s replacement. The four options UNC has are mostly new, with Browne being the only QB to have begun his college career. Before signing with the team, Baker claimed that the staff would “make [him] a priority,” reported ESPN.

Belichick could look at former star Jackson QB Landon Duckworth as an option. Though it looks like South Carolina might be closing in on him, he would make a great addition to Belichick’s squad as well. He has glorious season stats worthy of having teams battling for him. 3,439 passing yards, 348 rushing yards, and 51 touchdowns—this guy is going to add huge value to his chosen school.

Bill Belichick gets things done. There’s no doubt about that. Perhaps the key job here is to take up things as and when they become necessary. The year ahead is a test for both Belichick and the Tar Heels to see how the two fare with each other. Will Belichick have a solution to his quarterback problem? We might have to wait a bit longer to know.