Bill Belichick Explains Why UNC Is in 'Much Better Shape' for 2026 After 1st-Year Struggles

North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick is expecting the Tar Heels to take a step forward next season after a rough 2025 campaign.

"It was great, working with a lot of young players. I saw a lot of improvement. Both off the field and their training, conditioning, strength, explosion, all that. And then on the field in terms of their technique, communication and so forth," Belichick told College Gameday ahead of Monday's National Championship Game. "You know, we didn't really have a recruiting class last year, a lot of new players, 70 new players to start the season. This year we'll be in much better shape in terms of having some continuity and building forward through spring ball. I'm excited about that."

In Belichick's first season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina finished 4-8 and went just 2-6 in ACC play. Between the struggles on the field and Belichick's highly-publicized relationship with Jordon Hudson, it was a drama-filled debut.

Belichick made some major changes in the aftermath of the on-field struggles, firing offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer. But since being decoupled from Tom Brady, Belichick's teams have had four losing seasons in five campaigns.

That isn't to suggest that Brady was solely responsible for Belichick's success in New England. He was arguably the greatest defensive mind of his generation and will be remembered as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, period.

But it is fair to question if perhaps Belichick, at 73, has lost some of his coaching touch. Pete Carroll, aged 74, only lasted one season in his return to coaching for the Las Vegas Raiders.

The 2026 season will be a good barometer for whether Belichick and the Tar Heels simply had a rough transition in their first year together or whether it was an ill-fated experiment from the jump. Belichick obviously believes it was the former.