North Carolina’s Tar Heels may be 2-0, preparing for their first ACC game at Clemson, but without their defensive coordinator. Steve Belichick has been away from the program since August, and Bill Belichick has declined to provide a timeline for a return on his son.
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Now one of his assistants has offered a small glimpse into how UNC is handling the situation. Outside linebackers coach Ty Nichols said in UNC’s Monday presser that his responsibilities have not changed and expanded on how the team is coping without Steve.
“It’s been a collaborative effort with the defense since I’ve been here,” Nichols said. “We have a small defensive staff. There’s not a lot of us, so we each have our hand in pretty much everything that goes on within the defense. So, in terms of anything else like that, coach(Bill Belichick) is mandating it and running it and doing all that kind of stuff.”
North Carolina is heading into its biggest test of the young season with a defense that has quietly been one of the better units in the country. The Tar Heels have allowed only 13 points through two games and are giving up 6.5 points per game.
Yet it remains unclear as to how far that can continue without Steve Belichick, with Nichols shedding light in a presser about how they’ve been managing on the Tar Heels’ YouTube channel on September 13.
UNC beat TCU 15-10 in the season opener and followed it with a 35-3 win over East Tennessee State. The defense has surrendered only 13 points in two games, although the schedule has not exactly tested it yet. TCU and ETSU are a long way from Clemson. The numbers also hide one problem.
UNC has allowed opponents to convert 15 of 32 third downs. ETSU alone converted eight of 16 third downs and controlled the clock for stretches of the game. That becomes a much bigger concern against an ACC opponent with better athletes. Clemson presents an unusual opportunity because its offense has struggled badly.
The Tigers lost 51-10 to LSU in the opener, the worst defeat of Dabo Swinney’s 19-season tenure. Clemson then beat Georgia Southern 22-7, but the offense still failed to generate much consistency. There is now another wrinkle. Clemson quarterback Christopher Vizzina is expected to miss the UNC game after suffering an injury to his non-throwing elbow.
Freshman Tait Reynolds is set to make his first career start. Vizzina completed only four of seven passes against Georgia Southern before leaving the game, while Reynolds finished that night with 178 passing yards. That could put even more pressure on UNC’s defense to win the matchup.
Steve joined UNC in 2025 after one season as Washington’s defensive coordinator. Before that, he spent more than 10 years with the New England Patriots and was part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. His first season in Chapel Hill also brought a clear improvement on defense. UNC kept him on staff when Bill joined as head coach. That makes Steve’s absence much more significant than a routine coaching change.
Bill Belichick has said little about it. When asked about Steve and GM Lombardi’s situations last month, he said both “haven’t been an issue.” Lombardi subsequently resigned after being placed on administrative leave, and an internal investigation involving the program has added another layer to the situation.
In early September, WRAL reported that lawyers hired by UNC were investigating allegations involving Steve Belichick. Those are allegations under investigation, not established findings. The investigation was broader than Steve.
UNC had already been dealing with a separate controversy involving general manager Michael Lombardi. A former front-office employee filed a human-resources complaint against UNC’s former GM. He resigned September 3. After his departure, the university’s investigation expanded to other allegations involving the football program.
Reports also said investigators were examining allegations involving relationships between members of the recruiting staff, players, and assistant coaches. UNC has not publicly confirmed the allegations as facts. Bill Belichick has largely refused to discuss the specifics.