When Bill Belichick found his way to Chapel Hill back in December, UNC folks believed the promise he sold– that the Tar Heels would become the “33rd NFL team.” However, fast forward to Week 8, and UNC might just be the most dysfunctional program in the entire Power Five. The Tar Heels sit 15th in the ACC with just two wins and four losses, and an NFL Network reporter has put Bill Belichick and the program’s entire relevancy into question, calling out the head coach’s uncertain future at Chapel Hill.

On October 20th, Pelissero, one of Belichick’s biggest off-field critics, joined The Jim Rome Show and didn’t hold back when discussing Belichick’s struggles at North Carolina, and yes, obviously, labeling the experiment “disaster”:

“There were whisperings of this last summer in just talking to people who know Bill, know some of the staff members here, that the coaching staff was not really organized, that you know, they struggled to get some of the guys that they wanted, certainly from a player perspective, when some of your best players are deciding to, you know, in the middle of the night in the transfer portal to leave the school and go to an Ohio State that’s not a great sign.”

That might sound harsh, but it does correctly reflect the outright chaos at UNC. After just five games under Belichick, the Tar Heels had come to be ranked 128th nationally in points per game out of 136 FBS teams. When they lost 38-10 to Clemson, the stadium emptied before halftime. It’s a sharp contrast to the early-season energy when fans believed in Belichick’s NFL-style rebuild. Behind the scenes, multiple reports, including a detailed WRAL investigation, describe the same dysfunction Pelissero pointed out: a divided locker room, an unstructured coaching staff, and poor communication at every level.

“It’s an unstructured mess. There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster,” one source told WRAL. Parents and players reportedly feel alienated, with some parents claiming they haven’t received a single text or call from coaches since Belichick’s arrival.

Those close to the program trace the divide back to December 2024, when Belichick and his handpicked general manager, Michael Lombardi, brought in 70 new players, mostly transfers and recruits unfamiliar with UNC’s culture. That overhaul created immediate tension between Mack Brown’s holdovers and Belichick’s newcomers. Sources allege that Belichick’s recruits received preferential treatment, from better parking and extra tickets to lighter discipline for missing classes or workouts. Some of those players, including Khmori House and Thaddeus Dixon, both linked to Belichick’s son Steve, were cited by insiders as examples of favoritism that fractured team unity.

Communication gaps have deepened the problem. Belichick’s players reportedly didn’t meet him until weeks after he was hired, and parents were told not to approach the new coaching staff. Internally, even assistants have struggled to find direction. “The lack of experience the coaches have, it’s ridiculous,” one source told WRAL, noting that most of Belichick’s hires, including both his sons, Steve and Brian, and Lombardi’s son, Matt, had limited or no college experience before joining UNC.

According to Pelissero, there was some initial contact with NFL teams last year before Belichick joined the Tar Heels, but he realized in December that his best path back to the league might be taking on a college job to prove he could still coach. That gamble, however, hasn’t paid off. The on-field product has only reinforced that dysfunction. The Tar Heels have been outscored 120–33 by Power Four opponents and rank 131st nationally in total offense. Backup QB Max Johnson, a Mack Brown-era holdover, has outplayed Belichick’s $2 million transfer addition, Gio Lopez. Belichick and Lombardi have even publicly admitted the roster “isn’t good enough,” blaming late arrival and lack of relationships in recruiting. Some of the team’s biggest losses through the transfer portal highlight how quickly talent drained away from Chapel Hill:

• LB Amare Campbell (Penn State)– UNC’s top defender last year; now leading Penn State with over 50 tackles.
• DE Beau Atkinson (Ohio State)– Left after spring practice; his exit exposed NIL mismanagement that insiders say pushed him out.
  QB Ryan Browne (Purdue)– Averaging 100 more passing yards per game than UNC’s current starter; left amid NIL payment disputes. 
• OL Howard Sampson (Texas Tech)– Now starting for a 6–0 Texas Tech team and has allowed just one sack.
• LB Michael Short (Virginia Tech)– Producing solid numbers as a Hokie while UNC’s defense continues to struggle.

Lombardi’s dismissive handling of potential recruits hasn’t helped either. The Athletic reported that UNC turned down Virginia’s Chandler Morris after Lombardi told staffers, “You just don’t understand what it takes to play in the National Football League.”

Plus, one of Belichick’s biggest disadvantages was his lack of familiarity with the transfer portal and the college recruiting scene. Unlike other coaches, he didn’t have past relationships with players or recruiters to draw from. Pelissero didn’t hold back: “That’s just not modern college football. Look at what Curt Cignetti has done at Indiana. You can engineer a quick turnaround, but you’ve got to do it while the positive momentum’s rolling. The advantage Bill didn’t have that Cignetti did was, he didn’t know the guys in the transfer portal. He wasn’t able to bring in someone he’d coached before or played against. Bill was starting completely from scratch.”

UNC’s preparation for the 2025 season has been anything but modern football. But the biggest concern remains that Belichick continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. Pelissero called him out: “We’re doing things differently here, it’s recruiting trips or fundraising trips to Saudi Arabia, it’s what his girlfriend is doing, it’s a canceled documentary, and it’s general dysfunction.”

Looking ahead, Pelissero believes things could get worse before they get better. He suggested that North Carolina and Belichick might decide to part ways if results don’t change, but added that an NFL owner could still take a chance on him because of his track record. For now, though, Pelissero made it clear there’s little sign of a quick turnaround in Chapel Hill. However, if UNC’s decision-makers choose to move on, a potential replacement coach is reportedly waiting in the wings.

Bill Belichick’s replacement!

Even though Bill Belichick and North Carolina deny any problems, many people around the program believe changes are needed. Hard Rock Bet listed former Florida coach Billy Napier as a possible replacement. Napier’s time with the Gators was disappointing at 22–23, but he’s known for strong recruiting, something UNC has struggled with under Belichick.

When Belichick and Michael Lombardi took over last December, they promised to build a top program and brought in 70 new players through the transfer portal. But it backfired. A coach from another school said they “miscalculated” by focusing too much on buying talent instead of building a team. The problems showed right away in a 48–14 loss to TCU, the worst defensive game of Belichick’s career.

That’s why Napier is seen as a good fit. In Florida, he rebuilt the roster with two straight top-10 recruiting classes and made talent acquisition his focus. With UNC dealing with staff suspensions, unhappy parents, and poor results, time may be running out for Belichick, and Napier’s recruiting skills might be exactly what the Tar Heels need.