Just 6 months have passed since Bill Belichick arrived at UNC and brought in the pull of his 8 Super Bowl rings and his GOAT status. Moreover, by the time national signing day came in February, the head coach’s magic was apparent, with the 2025 class ranked 55th, having improved from 80th when Belichick arrived. But not just the classes, it was the deep cleaning of the program with staff hirings, with the arrival of Michael Lombardi and others. And Now? The head coach has got himself another man to help steer UNC toward success in the 2025 season and beyond.

Belichick’s arrival at UNC wasn’t an easy decision for the program to make. For starters, UNC was already bidding adieu to their longtime legendary head coach, Mack Brown, who turned 73. And so, turning again to a 72-year-old head coach who had no experience in college football was met with skepticism. Amongst those mostly skeptical were Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham and UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts.

“Sources said Roberts and Cunningham were ‘in lockstep’ throughout the process, but there were serious reservations over the notion of handing the future of the football program over to a 72-year-old with no prior college experience,” ESPN’s David Hale, Andrea Adelso, and Chris Low reported. Cunningham, on the other hand, was in negotiations with Arthur Smith (Steelers OC) and even continued to talk to other candidates. This was going against the will of the Board Members and John Preyer, UNC’s board chairperson. However, finally, the hiring was done, and UNC is now with the head coach. As for Cunningham? He is now exiting the program.

According to a recent report, UNC has extended Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham’s contract by two years and has also hired a new executive Athletic Director. “North Carolina extends AD Bubba Cunningham’s contract by two years and hires RFK Racing President Steve Newmark as executive associate AD and his successor. “Newmark will transition to the Director of Athletics role in the summer of 2026.” Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports shared the update on X.

The hiring of Steve Newmark seems to be another step in the change that the program is showing after Bill Belichick’s arrival. In Cunningham’s time, UNC’s basketball team won the 2017 NCAA national championship and also reached its final again in 2022. Apart from that, the AD also oversaw excellence in Olympic Sports like field hockey, women’s lacrosse, and women’s soccer, making the program one of the best in the country in Olympic Sports. But with UNC’s recent decision? Those Olympic glories might not be feasible to sustain for UNC.

UNC’s $13 million promise to Belichick puts its storied history in jeopardy?

UNC is still a basketball program, having produced legendary players like Michael Jordan and multiple national titles. But the hiring of Bill Belichick was a clear sign of the shifting winds towards football, and the program handed over a $50 million contract to the head coach in order to execute that.  But amidst that promise of upgrading the football program, the other sports are bound to suffer.

“I just hope women’s sports don’t go away. Olympic sports are in danger, man. Both my girls played college sports, and you take away college volleyball from my daughters, that’s a game changer,” said Urban Meyer, raising concerns about the erosion of other sports. And UNC might be making Urban Meyer’s concerns quite real with their recent revenue-sharing allocation proposal.

According to the House v NCAA, which has been recently approved, programs can give up to $20.5 million to their athletes. But that money isn’t being distributed equally. As per Bubba Cunningham’s public letter, the program will allocate “more funds” to men’s basketball and football, with football alone reportedly getting $13 million. This would mean other sports like women’s basketball and baseball can regress because of a lack of funds. Even Cunningham pointed out that the two sports will be getting “some revenue share,” indicating the sports might not be a priority for the program for the time being.