With today’s 42-19 loss to NC State, the UNC Tar Heels have officially wrapped up their first regular season (4–8) under the supremacy of Bill Belichick and everything that came with him to Chapel Hill. After 11 months of ‘Chapel Hill Billy’, the former six-time Super Bowl head coach reverted to full ‘Patriot Bill Belichick’ mode and barely spent any time at the podium in his final press conference.

“Last Bill Belichick presser of the season. Run time: four minutes. Declined to comment, elaborate on large majority of them.” College football insider for North Carolina, Shelby Swanson hopped onto X to reveal the news.

The post-game press conference only lasted about four to four and a half minutes. Bill Belichick was very brief with reporters and looked aggravated by the questions. When he was asked what went wrong in the last three losses, he basically shut it down with a short “I don’t know.”

That’s classic Foxborough version of Bill Belichick for you, known for never giving much detail to the media and leaving them upside down. Truth be told, it was a bit too quick for an end-of-season press conference.

If you look at today’s game, that might explain his behavior. The Tar Heels were never really in the game to start with. The NC State Wolfpack scored a touchdown on all four of their first-half drives, making it clear who was in control of the rivalry. UNC’s defense, which usually is its strength, just couldn’t stop them, especially around the goal line.

NC State ended up scoring four rushing down on the Tar Heels’ defense. To make things worse, North Carolina was sloppy with penalties again, getting flagged 11 times for 129 yards lost. This lack of discipline hurt them last week against Duke, too. And it was a big issue in this game as well. On top of that, UNC’s Gio Lopez got injured in the third quarter after a sack and had to leave the game, which was the third time he’s been hurt this season.

It was a frustrating way to end Bill Belichick’s first year in college football. The team dealt with distraction after distraction on campus. The Tar Heels expect a real return on investment from Belichick.

What’s next for Bill Belichick and the UNC Tar Heels

First of all, he’s sticking around Chapel Hill. Belichick has made it clear he’s committed to the Tar Heels for his second year. Even though a special contract clause would let him jump ship to the NFL next year for just a million dollars, he gave his word. That he’s not going anywhere. The plan is for him to lead the team again in 2026.

His immediate focus will be on the offseason hustle: recruiting and rebuilding. The team missed out on a bowl game this year, the first time since 2018 or 2019. So, bringing in new talent has to be the number one priority. The UNC is already keeping tabs on certain players. Now it’s Belichick’s job to get them signed and build a more competitive squad for the conference run next season.

Of course, the NFL rumors never really go away. Belichick is super close to breaking the all-time wins record held by Don Shula. So, that story will always be hovering in the background. But for now, he’s fully focused on turning the UNC program around. He’s ready to put in the work to make the Tar Heels winners again, not packing his bags for the pros just yet or maybe ever.