Written by MICHAEL KOH
Bill Belichick clearly believes last year was a mulligan.
The UNC football head coach spoke to the media Tuesday as his team opened spring practice at the Kenan Football Center. And one of the first things he addressed was how he feels more ahead of the game now than he did at this time last year. Belichick emphasized that he didn’t have enough time to recruit, either from high schools or the transfer portal, before spring football began. Now, Belichick believes having a year under his belt, and the relative roster continuity of this year’s Tar Heels, will be strong assets.
There is some merit to the point Belichick is driving at. One major change in the college football offseason cycle this year is the removal of a second transfer portal window after spring practice. It means, for the most part, the Tar Heels in uniform today will be the ones to take the field in Dublin this coming August against TCU. Hence Belichick saying, “We have our team now.”
Belichick also noted that the two UNC quarterbacks who took the most snaps in spring ball last year – Ryan Browne and Bryce Baker – didn’t play at all for Carolina in the fall. Browne returned to Purdue via the portal while Baker sat on the bench and has since transferred himself. This year, Maryland and Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards should compete with returner Au’Tori Newkirk for QB1. Western Carolina transfer Taron Dickens, who is not currently on the spring roster, could have a say as well.
There are also holes in Belichick’s argument. Just look down the road at Wake Forest: head Jake Dickert was hired a week after Belichick, had doubtless fewer resources, and still put together a much better season. The Deacs’ 9-4 record included a win over 4-8 UNC.
There is a very real possibility that Belichick’s second Tar Heel team, from a pure football standpoint, will be of a higher quality than last year’s. And that is a low bar to clear. But because of a loaded schedule which includes Notre Dame, Clemson and national runners-up Miami, Carolina could still finish 4-8 or worse despite better play on the field. The ‘Canes, Irish and Tigers’ programs simply operate on a higher plane, and have for some time.
But that is much too farsighted for spring football season. Belichick’s players haven’t even put pads on yet, and are simply looking to, as the head coach puts it, stack days together. We can worry about the on-field results in a few months.
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Featured image via Associated Press/John Raoux
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