Sep 13, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick on the field before the game at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Artacho’s Angle: UNC Football Is Bleeding Because of Belichick

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Jeremiah Artacho | Last updated Oct 11, 2025 9:00 AM ET

It's all bad, so awful. Nobody can believe anything that is going on with Bill Belichick and the UNC football program.

One piece of the story after another, recent reports have unfolded the story of what is happening on the inside of what was supposed to be a turning page (to some extent, at least) for football in Chapel Hill. The reality of it all?

It's not even close, nowhere near a change, much worse than last season — both on and off the field. Belichick's six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots have not helped even a bit — nothing whatsoever. This hire not by UNC's athletic director Bubba Cunningham, but by Chancellor Lee Roberts and the Board of Trustees, will forever be questioned five, 10, 15 years from now.

The Tar Heels, if elected to go the collegiate route, could have had someone like Jon Sumrall, the head coach of Tulane, who currently sits at a record of 5-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Who knows what could have happened if UNC had Sumrall instead of Belichick?

More than likely, a much better outcome than a 2-3 record through five contests — and that's because of Sumrall's experience at the college ranks, a whole lot different than how NFL organizations are run.

Belichick Gone After One Season Can Take Away the Bad Publicity

The public image of the UNC football program is not pretty in any way at the moment. But if Belichick is not the head coach by the end of this season, it could solve those problems quickly.

North Carolina has never been a powerhouse football program, unlike Georgia, Alabama, Florida, or LSU, but the drama going on behind those locker room walls — beyond the gridiron — adds a whole new layer that can ruin so much more than not being good at the sport.

According to reports by WRAL's Brian Murphy, quarterback Gio Lopez suffered a car crash days before UNC's season opener against TCU. And for him to still go out and play is completely dangerous and not fair to him — he should have been resting and finding ways to recover to 100 percent, rather than risking a bigger injury — and it makes sense why he came out of the game, leading to Max Johnson's small appearance.

These players are not treated fairly, and that falls on the head coach, a 73-year-old with tons of head coaching experience in the NFL — a place where college athletes hope to play one day. The image of UNC has caused lots of blood to ooze out, and whatever news continues to come out will only make things worse before it all gets better.

Please

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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