The Athletic projects UNC football's NIL budget

The North Carolina Tar Heels are off to a 2-0 start in Bill Belichick's second season as head coach, and with it being an important year, it was crucial to get off to this good start. But now the test gets a lot tougher.

Starting this week, the Tar Heels, begin Atlantic Coast Conference play and will go on the road to face off against Clemson. The Tigers are 1-1 on the year and are trying to find their footing early on.

But before we get set for Saturday's kickoff, The Athletic put out a study of how much the rosters cost for 68 college football teams. The site reached out to more than 70 sources across college football, including coaches, general managers, personal directors, agents, and more. They came up with an estimated amount, including for the Tar Heels.

Now, this was before the news that Michael Lombardi resigned after an investigation into the program, as he had his hands on this roster.

For the Tar Heels, The Athletic estimates that North Carolina's roster budget sits at $20M-$25M for the upcoming season, which ranks close to the middle of the 68-team field they are reporting on. These numbers refer to the amount the school had at its disposal to assemble its 2026 roster — setting aside any player income not managed or controlled by the football program, such as endorsements with national brands. The money comes from a combination of athletic department revenue, outside booster donations and other sources that vary from school to school.

NIL was an issue for the program before Belichick arrived, and even Mack Brown had his thoughts on it all before he was fired. The more success the program has, the more NIL spending it will have as well, which is a good thing.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: The Athletic projects UNC football's NIL budget