A lot of eyes are on this one. Bill Belichick‘s coming in as a college football HC for the first time at 73. His stint at New England didn’t exactly scream friendliness, and people wondered if he could even win the hearts and interests of young college kids. Turns out, he’s building a strong North Carolina army at Chapel Hill. The first step of winning in college football is the recruiting process, and he’s winning at that. 

On Wednesday, North Carolina landed another big piece through the transfer portal. And national analyst Cooper Petagna didn’t hold back in a new episode on 247Sports’ The Ultimate College Football Show on May 7. His verdict is that UNC is quietly becoming one of the most intriguing rosters in the country — “I like what they’ve done and I give Michael Lombardi a lot of credit.” And Belichick, despite a chaotic late start, is absolutely cooking. Petagna started with the Tar Heels QB because that’s where everything starts. Gio Lopez isn’t exactly a household name, but he’s got the potential to thrive with his new team. 

“I think a lot of people were maybe a little bit surprised that North Carolina that that was the player that they targeted,” Petagna said of Gio Lopez. There had been rumors about John Mateer and even Nico Iamaleava as potential UNC QBs. “Gio Lopez is the guy that elevates the floor of North Carolina’s program,” he said. “He’s going to be a guy that has experience that also gives a multi-year eligibility as well. And a guy that makes him competitive from day one.” The South Alabama transfer recorded 2,559 yards and 18 TDs last season. But wait, it gets better because the defense is looking extremely formidable.

“Another guy that they added was D’Antre Robinson who I like a lot, played a good bit of ball for Florida this past year. Big body on the interior,” Petagna added. D’Antre Robinson is a 6’3, 303-pound sophomore, a No. 28 DL in the 2025 portal cycle. Last season, he played in 11 games and racked up 17 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

“They had him with Isaiah Johnson from Arizona. They’ve done some really really intriguing things.” UNC also added 6’1, 322-pound DL Isaiah Johnson, a No. 34 ranked DL in the 2025 class who appeared in 10 games at Arizona last season for 9 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks. That’s real SEC and Pac-12 experience now crashing into the ACC. But again, that’s not all. 

Bill Belichick is building a formidable defensive ground

Bill Belichick is finding dudes who maybe weren’t stars where they were but fit exactly what he wants to build at Chapel Hill. “They added Gregory Smith from Florida today,” Petagna said. Gregory Smith III is a 6’4, 217-pound safety who was the top available player in the portal when he committed. He only played five games last season and recorded five total tackles and a defended pass in 100 snaps. But he’s got four years left and was the No. 13 ATH prospect coming out of high school. A diamond in the rough that Bill Belichick can mold into a weapon. 

Then there’s Arkansas transfer TE Shamar Easter, who was a former 4-star in 2023 and a top-250 national recruit. At 6’5, 223 pounds, he was turning heads even as he transitioned to WR. “So you look at North Carolina, this is a team that has the look in field of Bill Belichick that has an NFL type pedigree,” Petagna said. “They know what they want and it’s a little bit of a land of misfit boys but they’re going to have a new opportunity here in Chapel Hill… So I’m excited how competitive this team can be.” 

So you see, this isn’t your old Tar Heels’ team anymore. Bill Belichick may have been in the headlines for poor reasons lately. But he and his team are building something serious methodically.