These are some surreal days in Chapel Hill, N.C., where six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick, 73, has gone back to school as coach of the University of North Carolina’s football program. After spending 49 seasons in the NFL as an assistant and head coach, Belichick has imported his pro philosophy into the program, especially when it comes to the secrecy—reasonable souls could say paranoia—he made famous during his tenure with the New England Patriots. Whereas former UNC coach Mack Brown enjoyed bantering with reporters who were welcome to witness a healthy chunk of Tar Heels practices, Belichick has padlocked the gates. Under Brown, “it would be a whole bunch of sh-ts and giggles,” says Inside Carolina reporter Adam Smith, who’s covered the team for more than two decades. “Now, it’s just completely the opposite.”
North Carolina football last secured a conference championship in 1980, has won more than 10 games in a season just once this century, and finished under .500 a year ago. Yet on Sept. 1, Labor Day, North Carolina will host TCU, in a nationally televised prime-time slot on ESPN; it’s the only college football game scheduled on the national holiday.
All eyes are on Carolina, solely due to Belichick.
He announced that a forthcoming Hulu documentary “will showcase our football program.” His relationship with girlfriend Jordon Hudson, 24, and the level of influence she may or may not exert over him and the UNC program, has become a subject of widespread fascination. Even in college sports, where the cult of the head coach looms large, the attention Belichick has delivered to a middling program stands out.
But get this: it’s the players who score the touchdowns, make the tackles, and win the championships. In all the blanket coverage of Belichick, this fundamental truth is often overlooked.
So in advance of UNC’s opening game, we’ll put a little shine on the actual athletes. Here are four UNC players to watch this season.
Gio Lopez, quarterback
Lopez, a South Alabama transfer who reportedly signed a two-year, $4 million Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with North Carolina, will lead the offense. “Gio’s made a ton of progress,” Belichick said last week. “We’ve evaluated things through training camp, and now as we get ready for TCU, he’ll be our starting quarterback.”
As a redshirt freshman at South Alabama, Lopez averaged 274.7 yards of total offense per game—good for 22nd in the country. At 6-ft. tall, he’s undersized but productive. Smith remembers catching one of Lopez’ games last season, against Appalachian State, on television: in a 48-14 victory, Lopez completed 16 of 24 passes, for 154 yards and 2 touchdown throws while also rushing for 105 yards and scoring another TD with his feet. “He’s just running around all over the place, little left-handed guy, and looks like a bowling ball bouncing off people,” says Smith. “And he can fling it. He just looks like a baller.”
At the Manning Passing Academy this summer, Lopez caught the eye of NFL draft guru Todd McShay. “He’s short but has BIG arm talent and killed it in the QB competition over the weekend,” McShay wrote. “The deep ball specifically is beautiful and it’s clear he has a lot of confidence in his arm.”
Thaddeus Dixon, defensive back
A transfer from the University of Washington, Dixon brings Power 4 pedigree to the defensive side of the ball: the Los Angeles native was honorable mention All-Big 10 for the Huskies a year ago and played in the national-championship game against Michigan following the 2023 season. Dixon says he was “getting ready to go to the NFL and do my thing,” before Belichick came calling. Dixon is familiar with Belichick’s schemes, having played for his son Steve, who was Washington’s defensive coordinator in 2024. Steve holds the same position with the Tar Heels this season.
Dixon has designs on winning the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the top defensive back in college football: at an ACC media event this summer, Dixon said he keeps the names of the last five Thorpe winners in his locker for motivation. “I’ve been working a lot on my versatility,” Dixon said. “Sometimes when you play corner, it’s easier for teams to just go away from you and you not have a great impact on the game. But by me following the best dude, moving into the slot, moving into the nickel, playing safety and things like that, I just feel like I can change the game in so many different ways.”
Jordan Shipp, wide receiver
Between transfers like Dixon and Lopez, and the college newcomers, Belichick anticipates North Carolina will have 70 new players on its team this year. However, Shipp, a sophomore, has returned to North Carolina for a chance to contribute to Belichick’s squad. A four-star recruit out of Charlotte, Shipp was slowed by a shoulder injury as a true freshman last season: he caught just nine passes, for 114 yards, for the Tar Heels. But he’s already developed a strong bond with Lopez, who has referred to Shipp as his closest friend at North Carolina. Shipp was selected to speak to the media at July’s ACC Kickoff event. “That stuff’s a good indicator of who they believe in and who they think will contribute,” says Inside Carolina writer Jeremiah Holloway. “People have heard good things about him. So they are wanting to believe in his raw ability.”
Andrew Simpson, linebacker
Simpson, who played three seasons at Boise State before transferring to Chapel Hill, had Dixon in his ear about joining the Tar Heels: the pair grew up playing youth football together in Southern California. In 2023, Simpson was third-team All-American after recording 66 total tackles, including 16 for a loss and 6.5 sacks: a year ago, Simpson helped Boise State reach the College Football Playoff. In the Broncos’ only regular-season loss, in September at No. 7 Oregon, Simpson had five tackles, 1.5 for loss, a solo sack and a forced fumble.
So why leave Boise? Besides his buddy Dixon’s persistent pitch, the chance to improve his pro prospects was alluring. “I just want to be ready for the league when the league comes calling,” Simpson said during a training-camp press conference. “And I felt like Coach Belichick, there’s nobody else better to go to for that.”
You should be able to spot Simpson pretty easily on the field: he’s the guy chasing down quarterbacks and receivers, with the stellar locks. “Great hair,” says Smith. “It’s flowing. It’s prolific. If he was riding a bike, it looks like it would be really good in the wind.”
With hair like Simpson’s—not to mention his talent, and the talent of the other Carolina standouts, plus that of the coach—“anticipation is running stupidly hot” in Chapel Hill, Smith observes. The schedule seems manageable: besides an Oct. 4 home game against No. 4 Clemson, the Tar Heels won’t face the other top-ranked ACC teams (Miami, SMU, Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Florida State).
So why shouldn’t Tar Heel football fans, who’ve suffered for decades, savor this moment? “There is a sentiment of, ‘we’ve got the guy with six Super Bowls,’” says Smith. “And so we’ll be just fine going up against, you know, UVA.”
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