Bill Belichick came to UNC with all the hype that should surround a serial winner like the former New England head coach. There was genuine interest among fans about seeing how the six-time Super Bowl winner adapts to college football. At the same time, there were naysayers who predicted that the path to success at a basketball program like UNC would not be straightforward. The detractors were right.

“Nobody else was going to be rooting for us. Everybody wanted to see Coach Belichick fail, and it was just like we knew that we were in this by ourselves,” NC wide receiver Jordan Shipp said about the Tar Heels’ 2025 season, per WRAL’s Brian Murphy.

Shipp joined UNC as a member of the 2024 class but didn’t see much action under Mack Brown during his true freshman season. His sophomore year was a different story. The UNC wide receiver had 60 receptions for 671 yards and six touchdowns. But overall, from a team’s perspective, the 2025 season was disappointing, to say the least.

It didn’t help Coach Belichick that he didn’t get the time to mold the roster in his image. Following Brown’s exit, 31 players left the program. Ahead of his first year with the program, Belichick brought in 37 players via the portal.

However, the situation was nothing like Belichick would have faced in the NFL. You don’t see that high a turnover in the pros. The results were along expected lines. Belichick’s first college game against TCU on Labor Day became the most-watched Labor Day game since 2016. It averaged 6.6 million viewers on ESPN, with a peak of 8.1 million.

Despite taking an early lead, UNC had a disappointing day, losing the game 14-48. The Tar Heels never looked like a cohesive unit. The offense struggled to move the ball, and it didn’t help that Belichick couldn’t figure out his QB1. In the end, the Tar Heels finished 4-8.

Heading into the second season, Belichick is promising a change in fortunes. At the ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte, the UNC head coach said the coaching staff received more preparation for the roster ahead of the upcoming season. Specifically, they focused on player-run practices, something Belichick didn’t have time for in his first season at the program. That means a better culture among the players.

Both Shipp and Belichick talked about work ethic during their remarks in Charlotte. Last season, on-field struggles weren’t the only issues for UNC. Even off-field, the program was constantly in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. There were reports of players and parents being unhappy about the coaching staff.

The media focused on the head coach’s personal life, and that didn’t help quiet the noise around a team struggling to get going. But all that noise has died down over the last few months. Belichick is fully focused on proving his worth next season.