Bill Belichick Hypes UNC's Progress Entering 2026 Season, 'Our Talent Level Is Higher'

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick detailed the progress his team has made heading into the 2026 college football season.

"Overall as a football team, our culture, our program, our ability to operate as a team is much higher than it was a year ago," Belichick told ESPN's Pete Thamel, "and our talent level is higher."

The Tar Heels are coming off a 4-8 finish in 2025, Belichick's first year with the school.

They opened the year with a 2-1 record, but immediately went on a four-game losing streak.

North Carolina averaged a mere 288.8 total yards per game, the worst mark among all ACC teams. The Tar Heels also recorded 19.3 points on a weekly basis, representing the second-lowest average in the conference.

Belichick explained that he's looking for his team to cut down on penalties while getting off the field quicker on defense next season.

"We took some steps, but we're nowhere close to where we wanted to be," Belichick said, via Thamel. "We had too many penalties, we had too many turnovers. We couldn't convert on third down, fourth down defensively. We had too many fourth-down conversions where we had to stay on the field."

North Carolina is looking to find more success on offense under Bobby Petrino, who was named the team's new offensive coordinator on Jan. 9.

The Tar Heels will also have a fresh face under center, as Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr., Texas A&M transfer Miles O'Neill and true freshman Travis Burgess are all expected to compete for the starting quarterback job.

North Carolina will begin its 2026 campaign against TCU on Aug. 29.