"Credit to Chip Kelly": UNC GM notes down learnings from CFP led by Ohio State's National Championship run

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program is set to kick off a new era under head coach Bill Belichick, along with his staff coming into Chapel Hill. Belichick and his UNC staff are taking notes from the reigning National Champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, who are coming off a 34-23 victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the title game.

On Thursday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," UNC general manager Mike Lombardi revealed what he learned from the Buckeyes during their title run.

"I think it still comes back to, 'Can you win it up front? Can you have a good offensive lineman?' Ohio State with the injuries on their line, everybody thought the Tennessee game was going to be hard, or the Oregon game was going to be hard, and yet that offensive line really did a good job," Lombardi said (33:00 mark).

Lombardi also gave credit to Ohio State's coaching staff for keeping their players prepared to play on the biggest stage.

"Credit to Chip Kelly for what he was able to accomplish, and I think Notre Dame's too. Notre Dame's offensive and defensive fronts, I think that's still the essence of the game, and one thing I have learned from being in college football is depth matters. In the NFL, you can only dress 46 players. In college you can dress 95 or whatever the number is."

Lombardi is working to build UNC's roster alongside Belichick as the pair gear up for their first season together in Chapel Hill.

Bill Belichick signs UNC contract after one month

On Thursday, Bill Belichick finally inked his contract with the North Carolina football program over one month after agreeing to take the job as the 35th head coach in program history.

The deal ends the speculation that Belichick could return to the NFL, which many believed was the reason the eight-time Super Bowl champion coach had waited so long to sign the deal.

Belichick put the chatter to rest by signing his deal, which features several incentives for the coach in 2025. The UNC football program released the details of Belichick's deal upon his signing on Thursday.

Bill Belichick's deal includes a $1.75 million incentive for winning the 2026 National Championship. The Bill Belichick era at Chapel Hill will kick off on Sep. 1, when the Tar Heels face off against the TCU Horned Frogs on Labor Day.