Belichick, UNC Embrace the Spotlight in Charlotte

The Belichick Effect, The Belichick Bump or whatever you want to call it was in full display in Charlotte for the ACC Kickoff on Thursday.

When Bill Belichick walked to the podium inside the Hilton Charlotte Uptown ballroom, every eye, camera and smartphone was fixed squarely on North Carolina’s new head coach. Shielding his eyes from the bright lights, it was unclear whether Belichick was simply reacting to the glare or subtly poking fun at the intense spotlight that now surrounds him.

Either way, one thing is clear: Belichick is ready for the attention — and so is the rest of the Tar Heel program.

North Carolina has continued to be the talk of the ACC despite the low expectations on the Tar Heels. With Bill Belichick set to make his college football debut on Labor Day night, North Carolina has officially sold out its season tickets for the 2025 campaign — a clear sign of belief and anticipation sweeping through Chapel Hill. Also of note, his 24-year old girlfriend has also made the news, a lot of it for the wrong reasons.

But for the players inside the locker room, the buzz outside Kenan Stadium hasn’t changed the focus.

“I feel like there’s a lot of noise going around,” sophomore wide receiver Jordan Shipp said Thursday during the ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. “When you get the greatest coach of all time, there’s gonna be a lot of buzz going on. But that’s not really what we’re worried about. We’re worried about just getting better every day and staying where our feet are and really growing together as a team. I feel like it’s great for the hype. It’s great for the program, of course, but we’re focused on winning games and whoever’s there is there.”

The Charlotte native is expected to take on a bigger role in 2025 after he caught nine passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. Shipp represents a player-driven mindset that Belichick has preached since his arrival in January. And while the fans are buying in — quite literally — players say the challenge now is tuning out the headlines and tuning in to daily improvement.

“You’re going to have distractions no matter what you’re doing, no matter what your profession is,” Shipp added. “So it’s just the maturity level to know, like, we can’t go play TCU tomorrow. We can’t play them until September 1st. So why are we looking that far? Let’s focus on us getting better at what we’re doing every day.”

Senior defensive back Will Hardy echoed that mentality, while also acknowledging the energy around the program has never felt quite like this since he has been in Chapel Hill.

“I think the crowd and the fans getting more involved this year is something I’m looking forward to a lot,” Hardy said. “That first game against TCU is gonna be really exciting Monday night on ESPN. The tension’s building, and we’re looking forward to it. Excited to start fall camp soon.”

That opener — the only college football game scheduled for Sept. 1 — will mark Belichick’s first game on the sidelines since departing the NFL. But inside the program, players aren’t leaning on his résumé. They’re preparing to execute his expectations.

“Coach Belichick, he does a lot for the program, bringing a lot of good eyes to the program,” defensive back Thaddeus Dixon said. “But at the end of the day, man, we have to go out there and play football. He can’t make no plays.”

The ticket office may be out of tickets to give, but the players know success in 2025 won’t be given to them on a silver platter. Once Labor Day comes, they will have to show the whole world that the hype is real and here to stay when TCU comes rolling to town. ESPN is going to keep the hype train rolling as they will be doing a College Football Countdown with some heavy hitters giving analysis for the game.

For all the headlines and distractions that come withs Belichick’s presence in Chapel Hill, North Carolina’s players understand that no name, no broadcast, and no spotlight will win them games. They’ll have to do that themselves. If North Carolina wants the “Belichick Effect” to be more than just a headline, it starts by winning the game one — then the next one, and the one after that.