Bill Belichick will kick off his second season at North Carolina with the game against TCU on Aug. 29. After securing only four wins in the 2025 season, there are expectations that the long-time NFL coach will be able to lead the Tar Heels to a winning season in 2026.
Trouble Brewing for Bill Belichick After UNC’s $1.5M Hire Faces Harsh Criticism
On Thursday’s episode of The Audible podcast, Bruce Feldman, Ralph Russo, and Stewart Mandel discussed North Carolina’s 2026 outlook under Belichick.
“The three of us all worked on that story we did pretty about midway through the season when things were kind of at their low point and where one person after another after another cited the same culprit, Mike Lombardi,” Mandel said.
“And so what I would say is as long as he’s still the one building the team, I don’t think they’re going to be better.
“It’s as if you look like I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. They got a late start. Clearly, they didn’t have any relationships anywhere in college, in high school football and in college football.”
Lombardi had not been involved in college football for four decades, dating back to his time as UNLV’s recruiting coordinator. However, he became Belichick’s first hire upon arriving at the PFSN’s CFB Offense Impact Metric’s No. 85 team.
Lombardi agreed to a three-year, $4.5 million deal in Dec. 2024, making him the highest-paid general manager in college football at approximately $1.5 million per year. His contract mirrors Belichick’s timeline and includes significant buyout provisions.
While Lombardi played a key role in Belichick’s move to the college ranks, Feldman believes the GM has failed to mesh effectively at UNC.
“But the problem was about Lombardi,” Feldman added. “They did have relationships. It was the person who was paid $1.5 million to be the GM who squandered all that. I cannot like the reason why some of us who thought Belichick would be fine there were so wrong because we vastly underestimated just how inept the GM was.”
Lombardi publicly claimed the Tar Heels viewed themselves as the NFL’s “33rd team” because of the extensive professional experience within the program shortly after joining UNC. However, the 4-8 record in Belichick and Lombardi’s first season in 2025 quickly undercut that confidence.
Besides his duties as general manager, Lombardi has also taken on a visible media role, regularly appearing on UNC’s weekly coaches show in place of Belichick. He previously served as an assistant under Belichick with the New England Patriots from 2014 to 2016, and the span included two Super Bowl championships.
