When Bill Belichick arrived in Chapel Hill back in December 2024, the promise he sold was that it would be the “33rd NFL team.” Apparently, that could not be further from the truth because they are not even among the top 33 college programs in the country right now. Fast forward to today, and everything in Chapel Hill seems to be falling apart. According to several major insiders, the downfall of Bill Belichick’s college experiment is not entirely on him, as his close confidant is reportedly the main reason behind it.

Through the first five weeks of college football, the Tar Heels are 2-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. They rank 128th in points scored per game and even managed to make the Clemson Tigers look like a national title contender, with Cade Klubnik playing like a Heisman favorite, in a 38-10 loss during Week 6. Naturally, rumors started flying that Belichick and the UNC Tar Heels were headed for a breakup, though the university quickly poured cold water on that rumour.

On October 13th, Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Stewart Mandel hopped onto ‘The Audible’ podcast and put Bill Belichick’s right hand and UNC’s GM, Michael Lombardi on spot: “I noticed over the weekend that where GM, Mike Lombardi, who’s the highest paid GM in the country in college football, $1.5 million a year, he didn’t respond to our requests for comments, but it seems like he had spoken to some reporters around the country and put this out there, like suspicions within North Carolina’s program that some of the negative headlines have origins in New England as where we’re concerned. That’s not the case,” Bruce said. According to Bruce Feldman, Michael Lombardi has done more damage to Belichick’s reputation through his own actions than any outside media coverage ever could. And also called out Lombardi for not responding to requests for comment about recent controversies but reportedly spoke to other outlets.

Instead of protecting Belichick’s legacy or distancing himself from controversy, Lombardi’s actions and comments have, in Feldman’s view, unintentionally contributed to undermining Belichick’s reputation. Athletic sources have called UNC “described a culture of arrogance and ignoring of steep differences between college and pro football.” And for a good reason too.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding Michael Lombardi has been his outdated approach to college recruiting, especially in the transfer portal. Multiple reports suggest he’s been tough to work with and struggles to grasp how NIL deals actually function — a crucial part of landing top talent in today’s college game. According to The Athletic, Lombardi passed on a proven quarterback in the portal because he thought the player was “undersized” by his own standards. That player? Chandler Morris.

Last season at North Texas, Morris threw for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns, yet Lombardi didn’t see the fit. Fast forward to this year, and Morris is lighting up the ACC with Virginia, registering 1,428 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and only 4 picks. It doesn’t stop there. Lombardi has also faced some criticism for a perceived arrogance in dealing with player agents and for making lowball offers during negotiations, potentially costing UNC opportunities to acquire talented players. Some parents even called Mike Lombardi ‘rude’ and hard to work with.

Bruce Feldman doubled down: “Here’s the truth. The media could never do a better job of trying to take Bill Belichick down than what Mike Lombardi is actually doing now so and what he’s been doing since he got to Chapel Hill.” Feldman ends by saying that North Carolina’s next game against the Cal Golden Bears will show if the team — and Lombardi — can get back on track after recent problems. He suggests things could get even worse if they don’t start improving soon.

Bill Belichick and the Patriots controversy

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is reportedly blaming outside forces for the chaos surrounding his college program. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, some within UNC believe “negative headlines have origins in New England,” suggesting that Belichick’s former Patriots associates might have a beef with Bill and intentionally, spreading bad press to hurt his reputation.

However, that theory doesn’t hold up if we look closely. The first major report exposing UNC’s internal issues came from Pat Welter of WRAL-TV, a local North Carolina outlet with no connection to the NFL. The story detailed locker room tension, disorganization among the coaching staff, and overall dysfunction inside the building. Other reports came from state and college sports outlets, not from anyone tied to the Patriots.

If the Patriots really were behind all this, that’d be one of Robert Kraft’s most impressive moves yet. But the truth is simpler: the UNC program has created its own mess. Even The Athletic’s report noted that Belichick and general manager Mike Lombardi are already taking heat for the dysfunction inside the building. Instead of taking accountability, it seems the blame game is in full motion in Chapel Hill, folks. Belichick and Lombardi can keep pointing fingers at the Patriots all they want, but as things stand, no one’s doing more damage to North Carolina football than the men running it.