CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The University of North Carolina held their final spring practice on Saturday evening under new head coach Bill Belichick. The practice was dubbed “Practice Like a Pro” and was designed to emphasize Belichick’s, and his staff’s, NFL experience. I spent the day at UNC and attended practice as well. Here are some observations:
Excitement in Chapel Hill
The practice itself, inside Kenan Stadium, had lighter attendance than expected. This could have been due to the colder temperatures and the Saturday night timeframe. The excitement in the town of Chapel Hill, though, was notable. From students to fans and residents of Chapel Hill, they are excited for “Coach” to be there. I was also told that the players have enjoyed Belichick’s sense of humor (seriously) and that many believe that if they cannot make it with Belichick at UNC, then they’ll have no shot in the NFL. Many around town are expecting the team to be much better than last season.
Speaking of being better than last season
It was only one practice, but based off what I saw, I do expect the Tar Heels to be better than last season. The 2024 squad finished 6-7 including a Fenway Bowl loss to UConn, and is losing star running back Omarion Hampton. Belichick has his work cut out for him, but he and general manager Michael Lombardi have made and effort to overhaul the roster (they have at least 18 new players from the transfer portal) and that, coupled with a sharper coaching staff than last season, made the team look relatively sharp Saturday night. It did appear that they are lacking some offensive depth, but the first team offense moved the ball well and the defense has some legitimate athletes.
A Patriots tradition continues
The players were not wearing jersey numbers, a method that Belichick employed in spring practices in New England. For an out-of-stater, this made players tough to recognize, but it does allow players to participate with no pre-conceived notions of who they are or their spot on the depth chart. More than one media member complained about this, which brought back memories of Foxboro OTAs.
Practice structure
The practice took place inside Kenan Stadium on the new grass field. The grass looked good after light use this spring. Belichick structured this practice like a mix of a college practice, spring game, and NFL practice. Things were organized and the preparation appeared detailed. There were stretching and individual periods followed by alternations of “team” period between the offense and defense and special teams periods in between. It is clear that special teams is a point of emphasis for Belichick and his staff; after every offensive/defensive “team” period, the Tar Heels worked on some sort of special teams unit. Belichick was the only coach on the field during the “team” periods. He was directing where the ball was to be placed and offering some coaching points along the way. The remaining coaches and non-participating players were on the sidelines. Both the offense and defense made plays, with the defense intercepting a ball in the end zone during the first period and a nice corner end zone touchdown pass by the offense a period later.
Jordon sighting
For those interested, Jordon Hudson was at practice. Many committed recruits and former UNC players/alumni were also at the practice and on a corner of the field.