CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WNCN) — The day of what may be the most highly-anticipated college football coaching debut is finally here.
Bill Belichick, who has a total of eight Super Bowl rings as a coach, will start his tenure at the helm of North Carolina football Labor Day night when the Tar Heels host the TCU Horned Frogs at Kenan Stadium.
But it won’t be an easy task. On top of the transition from the professional ranks to the collegiate game, Belichick has a whole new roster to bring together, as the team has 70 new players who weren’t with the program last season.
That includes quarterback Gio Lopez, a transfer from South Alabama who was named the starting quarterback last Wednesday.
“We learn more every day and we’ll learn more each game, so we’re definitely gaining on the process and we’re growing, but it’s far far from perfect,” Belichick said that same day to the media, adding that even the coaching staff is learning to work together. “We’ll get better as we spend more time together.”
New offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens, who was UNC’s interim coach for the Fenway Bowl last season after Mack Brown was fired Thanksgiving week, is the only holdover from Brown’s staff. On the other side of the ball, one of Bill Belichick’s sons, Steve, has taken over as defensive coordinator.
Their schemes and new personnel will be tested against TCU, a program that is just a few seasons removed from an appearance in the 2022 National Championship Game. That campaign led to head coach Sonny Dykes winning multiple Coach of the Year awards. He’s returning for his fourth season with the Horned Frogs, while quarterback Josh Hoover is set to start his third straight year. TCU finished sixth in the Big 12 Conference last year, with a decisive win in the New Mexico Bowl over Louisiana giving them a 9-4 overall record.
Belichick, Lopez and the Tar Heels are set to kick off against Dykes, Hoover and the Horned Frogs at 8 p.m. Monday night. CBS 17 will be live from Chapel Hill throughout the day with team coverage.