UNC Football Receives Bold Ranking Ahead of 2026 Season

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The North Carolina Tar Heels are entering their second year under head coach Bill Belichick. The legendary former New England Patriots head coach will be hoping for a better season after going just 4-8 in 2025.

Ahead of the 2026 season, The Athletic ranked the Tar Heels as the 75th-best team in the country. This shows that North Carolina has a lot of work to do if they want to move up and become a ranked program after a disappointing first year under Belichick.

Belichick made some changes to his coaching staff after a disappointing first season, firing Freddie Kitchens and bringing in Bobby Petrino as the new offensive coordinator. Petrino, who served as the offensive coordinator and interim head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2025 season.

The Tar Heels will lean on Petrino to turn around the offense. North Carolina will also see a change at quarterback as transfer portal addition Billy Edwards Jr. takes the starting spot. 

Edwards Jr. is entering his fifth season in college, but he hasn't seen a ton of time on the field.

He played well in the 2024 season at Maryland, completing 65 percent of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 148 yards and five touchdowns.

They will need him to play at a high level if they have any chance of being competitive in the upcoming season. 

The Tar Heels offense will also need running back Demon June to build upon his freshman season. In 2025, June rushed for 464 yards and two touchdowns on 84 carries, along with 17 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown.

The offense will need June to take a leap along with other pieces for North Carolina's offense to become a quality unit.

While Belichick is one of the best coaches in NFL history, he has his work cut out for him to turn North Carolina into one of the top programs in college football. The Tar Heels will look to have a strong start to the 2026 season in their matchup against TCU on Saturday.

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