Don’t Let Belichick Overshadow Lombardi’s Part in UNC’s Struggles

While Belichick will receive a fair share of the blame—and deservedly so—most of the responsibility should fall on UNC’s general manager, Michael Lombardi, who also serves as Belichick’s right-hand man. Lombardi oversees off-the-field aspects of the program, such as roster building and ensuring organizational stability.

Belichick and Lombardi got right to work, bringing in 70 new players between the portal and their high school signing class. However, this was the beginning of the downfall. From mismanaging the roster to struggling as an employer, here are Lombardi’s missteps to this point—and it is only halfway through the season.

Poor Roster Building

Under Lombardi’s watch, he and Belichick decided they wanted a brand new team. How many they wanted to bring in? 70. Not because they had to, but it’s because they wanted to. But its’ not like they were trying to outbid Alabama, LSU and Ohio State, they were trying to outbid Group of 5 programs.

• “What I think they miscalculated is with the way they were taking (players) in the portal and paying dudes,” said one Group of 5 head coach, granted anonymity to discuss his encounters with the Tar Heels in the offseason player acquisition cycle. 

• “It made me wonder, did they actually understand the landscape they were in? Did they understand that they’re in the ACC, not like Conference USA or the Sun Belt? Like, we got beat by North Carolina on a bunch of kids. I was like, why the f— is North Carolina beating us on kids? When I keep running up against the same P4s over and over again in recruiting, I’m like, all right, they’re gonna suck,” the anonymous coach added.

Belichick, 73, inherited a program that won 23 games during the previous three years under Mack Brown, reaching a bowl game each season, with two campaigns resulting in eight or more wins. Despite this, Belichick and Lombardi overhauled the roster and brought in about 70 new players, including 41 transfer portal additions and a freshman signing class.

However, UNC parted ways with several key players, including offensive lineman Howard Bryant (Texas Tech), defensive end Beau Atkinson (Ohio State), and Amare Campbell (Penn State), all of whom are now starters at their new schools.

According to team sources, these players were let go either because Lombardi didn’t believe they were good enough or because they did not meet the program’s NIL expectations, which were to take less money.

The most egregious transfer portal move was completely ignoring Chandler Morris’ interest

After throwing for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns at North Texas, Morris entered the transfer portal following the 2024 regular season. Days later, Belichick was hired at UNC. Morris, a sixth-year senior with experience at Oklahoma and TCU, was interested in playing for the Tar Heels, according to The Athletic.

Lombardi, who built the roster, declined to pursue Morris, believing he was undersized at 6 feet and 190 pounds and lacked arm strength, making his reasoning clear to UNC staff. 

“You just don’t understand what it takes to play in the National Football League,” he told staffers, per the report.

Lombardi instead brought in Purdue transfer Ryan Browne, a 6-4, 210-pounder who started two games for a 2-10 team and was seen as a better fit for Belichick and Kitchens’ offense.

Morris now has Virginia at 5-1, with 1,428 passing yards, 11 TDs, four interceptions, plus 176 rushing yards and four rushing scores. Due to his influence, he has Virginia in the top 25 and has the Cavaaliers on track for its first winning season since 2019 and a shot at a spot College Football Playoff

Lombardi’s approach failed to translate, as UNC is 2-3 and has the ACC’s worst passing offense. Gio Lopez, a portal transfer from South Alabama who UNC added after spring camp, is averaging 107.5 yards per game, ranking 127th nationally. As a team, North Carolina is averaging 161.6 yards per game through the air, which is last in the ACC.

UNC paid $2 million for Gio Lopez’s services and received subpar results in return. According to a report from WRAL, Max Johnson, who has since become the starting quarterback, has not received any NIL money.

Browne transferred back to Purdue, where he has thrown for 1,338 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Although his interception total is high, he is averaging 267.6 passing yards per game—more than 100 yards above UNC’s average. After Browne left, Lombardi attempted to rescind his NIL money, prompting Browne to hire a lawyer to settle the dispute.

The Infamous Letter

At this stage of the season, it’s clear Belichick and Michael Lombardi have struggled with the transition to college football. On the field, the team has been outscored 120-33 in three losses. Off the field, they have failed to build meaningful connections with player parents and families—an area critical for success at this level.

Lombardi attempted to calm the fan base last week with a letter to boosters laying out a plan to build the program’s foundation through recruiting and bringing in nearly 40 signees in the 2026 class. He mentioned the likes of Belichick, Lou Holtz, Mack Brown and Nick Saban and how they were able to succeed because of a long-term process.

• "Go through the list of every great college coach and examine his first season. Bill was 6-10 and 5-11 his first two seasons in Cleveland and New England. Mack Brown was 2-20 the first two years in Chapel Hill. Nick Saban was 7-6 losing to Louisiana Monroe at home. Jim Harbaugh, 4-8, Lou Holtz, 5-6 at Notre Dame, Kirk Ferentz 1-10."

• "Winning isn’t easy, especially when rebuilding needs to occur and culture needs to be developed. Once again, not an excuse for how we have performed, only making you aware building a championship team takes time."

• "Twenty years of sustained success in New England was due to investing in the long term, establishing continuity within the program, which allowed growth and development of the players," Lombardi wrote. "This is the formula we intend to use by signing a large high school class. There must be a blend of old and new which provides short and long-term answers.” 

However, there’s one problem: this is the era of the transfer portal, which allows teams to win immediately without undergoing a full rebuild. It’s not as if North Carolina needed a total overhaul—the Tar Heels have reached bowl games in each of the past six seasons, including appearances in the Orange Bowl and the ACC Championship Game.

It’s also worth noting that the word "rebuild" was not mentioned until the week of the Clemson game. Lombardi and company were confident they could win with the existing roster, and the now-canceled Hulu docuseries is further evidence of that mindset.

To make matters worse, Indiana—a program historically far behind North Carolina—reached the College Football Playoff and is currently 6-0, with double-digit victories over top-10 teams Illinois and Oregon.

The Hoosiers are set to break into the top five when the AP and Coaches Polls are released later today and are on pace for another playoff bid. Before Curt Cignetti arrived, Indiana averaged just 4.1 wins per season over the previous 30 years.

That only works if retention is strong and it will only get harder to do so if UNC keeps going downhill.

Lombardi should remember that a high recruiting ranking doesn’t guarantee quality on the field. UNC’s class ranks 18th nationally largely because the staff has 36 high school players committed to the program—more than any other program. Only USC and Georgia have signed more than 30, but those are the nation’s top two classes.

Final Thoughts

Lombardi is likely the highest-paid general manager in college football, earning $1.5 million. At that salary, building an ACC title contender should be the absolute minimum expectation. Building through the high school ranks makes sense in some cases, but UNC didn’t hire Belichick and Lombardi for a constant rebuild; they hired them to deliver immediate results.

Right now, the product on the field is bad and that’s not what the brass wanted.

The amount of vitriol directed toward Belichick and Lombardi has only grown. One UNC employee even described Lombardi as "loathsome"—not a word you hear every day. But when fans dread watching their own team, being called loathsome, especially when you’re struggling in your position, is the last thing you want.

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