The Bill Belichick era is yet to get on wheels in Chapel Hill, and players are already making tough decisions about their careers. And it’s not just any player, it’s a veteran. Senior RB Caleb Hood is hanging up his cleats for good, after just 5 games into the 2025 season. He was the player who kicked things off in the Belichick era, producing the 1st North Carolina TD for Bill Belichick against TCU.

“After much thought and prayer and discussion with my family, I have decided to retire from football,” Hood wrote on Instagram. “I am excited to start the next chapter and will always take my memories of Carolina with me,” he added. Hood was in his redshirt senior season this year, but has struggled to remain healthy in the past. The most games he has ever played in a season are 7. He was also listed as ‘probable’ in UNC’s first injury report before the Clemson game, which shows that he was once again, suffering from an injury.

“I want to thank Coach Belichick, Coach Kitchens and Coach Means for giving me an opportunity, as well as all my other coaches and teammates throughout my years of football for the impact they’ve all had on my life!” he added in his announcement. Caleb Hood bows out of football with 114 carries and 515 yards on the ground. He also has 3 rushing TDs and 1 receiving TD to his name after 5 years in the sport.

Hood proved to be a good unit in the depth chart, but his tendency to become injured made him a tough choice to depend on. Meanwhile, freshman Demon June has surged past him in the room, now at the top of rushing charts. QB Gio Lopez follows him at 2, pushing Caleb Hoods production to 4 place in the room. He tried to come back strong for UNC, having cut down 10 pounds to play healthy this year. But things might have taken a turn for the worse.

Bill Belichick also shared his thoughts on the veteran RB ending his career. “I could feel his conviction and the peace with his playing career closing,” Belichick shared in a statement. “He has battled through injuries the last couple years and has worked hard this offseason to stay healthy and compete everyday this season. He will always be a Tar Heel and I wish him nothing but the best moving forward,” the HC added. Belichick surely will be missing an important piece in the ground attack, now that the veteran RB has bid football goodbye. However, it was because of Belichick and the new North Carolina staff front that helped him attempt a run this season.

How Bill Belichick convinced Caleb Hood to come back

Caleb Hood, plagued with a career heavy with injuries and lack of playing time, had entered the transfer portal before Belichick came into play. When the legendary coach got down to building the program back up, he tried hard for the out bound players to come back – including Max Johnson. It was Bill Belichick who pushed Hood to hold on to North Carolina for this year.

“When I was in the portal, I just wanted to go play somewhere and just get some playing time, prove to myself [that] I can be that guy. I talked to Coach Belichick and he wanted me to come back, him and (Coach) Kitchens and (GM Michael) Lombardi,” he told TarHeels247. “They just gave me a shot. They saw some potential in me. …They were like, ‘You can really do something if you put your mind to it.’ Hearing that from the greatest, you can’t really turn that down,” he added.

Unfortunately, Caleb Hood never got the opportunity to make good use of his second chance at Chapel Hill. He hauled in his highest stats this year against TCU (10 carries for 31 yards, 1 TD), and tapered off afterwards. UNC will be missing an important player for the rest of the season, as it tries to survive the remaining part of the schedule.