Bill Belichick Brings NFL Roster-Building Tactics to North Carolina

Belichick is approaching his first North Carolina roster the same way he managed the New England Patriots for more than two decades — with precision, hard decisions and an eye for value.

He’s balancing scholarships and walk-ons, trimming the roster months before the season to meet the NCAA’s 105-player limit. Thanks to the NCAA’s grandfather clause, several former walk-ons still count toward the roster but not the scholarship cap, which gives  him and his staff more flexibility to shape the team.

“Obviously, most of them will be on scholarship. But there are some guys that are kind of in that gray area,” Belichick said. “Maybe they can earn a scholarship, depending on what their role is and so forth. So from a numbers standpoint, we're in good shape. Like, we're not going to have to release players to get to the 105. We already kind of did that in the spring, which was a difficult decision to make.”

Instead of just filling a depth chart, Belichick evaluates every player’s value — from superstar players to “bottom of the roster” prospects who could eventually contribute.

“Love those bottom of the roster questions,” Belichick said. “A lot of people let that stuff go. But honestly, those are important decisions. Some of those players eventually are going to end up helping us. To me, those players are just as important as the top 10. They’re going to have roles. We’re constantly trying to make sure we, from top to bottom, do the best we can.”

Belichick’s methods are similar to his days as the de facto general manager in New England, where cutting ties  from a player early was better than waiting too long. That philosophy extends to the transfer portal, which is similar to free agency in the NFL where you could add talent at any position if the player can compete and contribute immediately. Quarterback Gio Lopez is a recent example.