Bill Belichick leads UNC to first spring practice after veteran coach's major revamp at Chapel Hill

The 2025 college football season will start with one hell of a storyline as Bill Belichick's era at North Carolina is underway. On Tuesday, the legendary six-time Super Bowl champion led the Tar Heels through their first spring practice, setting the tone for a program-wide transformation in Chapel Hill.

Over the next two months, UNC will go through 15 practices as Belichick tries to install his pro-style system ahead of the season.

The Tar Heels' overhaul started with a massive coaching staff shake-up.

Belichick retained Freddie Kitchens as tight ends coach while also assigning him offensive coordinator duties. Meanwhile, his son, Steve Belichick, will take command as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. His other son, Brian, also has joined the defensive staff. The pro pedigree doesn’t stop there — Matt Lombardi, son of new UNC general manager Michael Lombardi, is the quarterbacks coach.

Belichick’s presence in college football will be a first, given his stature in the NFL. All eyes will be on his Tar Heels when they open the 2025 season at home against TCU on Sept. 1.

Bill Belichick starts mirroring Patriots blueprint at Chapel Hill

Bill Belichick is wasting no time making his mark on North Carolina football. As the Tar Heels go through spring practice, he's already implementing some of the same tactics he used with the New England Patriots.

One notable change? According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, UNC players are now practicing in numberless jerseys, a method Belichick previously enforced in the NFL.

"He did that with the Patriots too, until the NFL made him stop. After that, he had all the rookies wear numbers in the 50s and 60s until they earned 'cooler' numbers," Breer tweeted.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, SI senior writer Pat Forde has been on-site at UNC and reports that Belichick is stripping things down to the basics.

“It's going to be tryouts,” Inside Carolina’s Greg Barnes said. “They're going to run guys through a gauntlet. Bill Belichick is dropping a bomb on Kenan Stadium and everything to do with the football program and saying, 'We're going to start from scratch," Barnes added.

Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi have made it clear that they want UNC to operate like the “NFL’s 33rd team.”