What Bill Belichick said about hiring Bobby Petrino as UNC football offensive coordinator
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Bobby Petrino will be UNC football’s offensive coordinator, coach Bill Belichick announced Jan. 9 in a school-issued news release.
Petrino, 64, has been coaching for more than 40 years in college and the NFL, spending 18 seasons as a head coach at the college level. He joins the Tar Heels after two seasons as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas, where he served as the interim head coach for the final seven games of the 2025 season.
“We are fortunate to add an elite coaching talent in Bobby to our staff,” Belichick said in a UNC-issued statement. “He brings an extensive background and a proven record of success on offense at every level of football. Bobby has consistently built great offenses everywhere he has been, and we look forward to having him work with our program.”
Known for his work as an offensive guru and quarterback whisperer, Petrino will take over a new-look offense that’s trying to rebound from a poor debut season under Belichick. The Tar Heels posted a 4-8 record, finishing 131st in total offense among 136 FBS teams at the end of the regular season.
“I’m extremely excited to join Coach Belichick and the Carolina Football program,” Petrino said.
“This is an incredible opportunity to work with one of the best at a storied institution. I cannot wait to get started in Chapel Hill alongside this coaching staff and student-athletes.”
Bobby Petrino coaching history, offenses at Louisville, Arkansas
The last time Bobby Petrino coached at Kenan Stadium, the Lamar Jackson-led Louisville Cardinals had an offensive showcase in a 47-35 win against the Tar Heels. The Heisman Trophy winner accounted for 525 yards and six touchdowns that afternoon in Chapel Hill.
This season as the offensive coordinator for the Razorbacks, Petrino powered the 19th-ranked offense in the nation at 454.8 yards per game. Arkansas averaged 32.9 points, reaching 30 points in eight games. Petrino’s red-zone offense was 18th nationally, scoring on 91.7% of its opportunities in that area.
UNC struggled across the board, reaching 30 points once in 12 games and doing so against an FCS program. The Tar Heels were 115th nationally in red-zone offense with a 77.1% scoring clip. By the end of the regular season, only seven teams finished with fewer touchdowns than UNC’s 25.
Bobby Petrino working with UNC quarterbacks Billy Edwards Jr, Miles O’Neill
UNC’s quarterback will look different in the first season with Bobby Petrino. The Tar Heels lost freshman Bryce Baker and starting QB Gio Lopez to the transfer portal, opening the door for some new competition in a room that includes returner Au’Tori Newkirk and incoming freshman Travis Burgess.
Since the portal opened Jan. 2, the Tar Heels have added two quarterbacks in Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards Jr. and Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill. The signings of both players were announced Jan. 9, the same day Petrino was officially announced as UNC’s offensive coordinator.
Edwards figures to be the front-runner for the starting nod because of his experience at Maryland, where he played three seasons before transferring to Wisconsin. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound quarterback completed 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions with the Terrapins in 2024. An injury ended his season after two games with the Badgers this year, but Edwards could be Petrino’s guy in Belichick’s second season.
Rodd Baxley covers North Carolina Tar Heels athletics for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding UNC? Send them to rbaxley@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What Bobby Petrino as UNC football OC means for Tar Heels
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos