Where UNC lands in USA TODAY Sports' post-spring practice re-rank

College football season is just under four months away. In Chapel Hill, fans can only hope Year Two of the Bill Belichick experiment produces better results.

If Belichick’s offseason recruiting efforts are any indication of UNC’s fall success, signs are pointing in the right direction. North Carolina has a nationally-praised high school recruiting class, headlined by guys like Travis Burgess and Vodney Cleveland, while its transfer class re-loaded with skill players in Taron Dickens and Ade Willie.

Spring practice is now over, putting the Tar Heels one step closer to kickoff. In USA TODAY Sports’ re-rank of all 138 FBS teams after spring practice, UNC lands 86th.

North Carolina is one spot behind Iowa State, which finished 8-4 and declined a 2025 bowl game invitation, amidst Matt Campbell leaving for Penn State. The Tar Heels are one slot ahead of Delaware, a school they landed star defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude from, which just transitioned from FCS to FBS level a season ago.

UNC had a fairly manageable schedule in 2025, but disappointed to a 4-8 record. North Carolina’s lone wins came against a historically bad Charlotte program, FCS school Richmond, plus two struggling Power Four programs in Syracuse and Stanford.

Starting with an August 29 rematch vs. TCU across the pond, the Tar Heels’ 2026 schedule will be signifcantly tougher. UNC travels to Clemson September 19, hosts Notre Dame two weeks later, 2026 CFP National Championship finalist Miami (FL) on Halloween, Louisville on November 14, NC State on November 28, while also traveling to UConn (November 7) and Virginia (Nov. 21).

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: UNC football 86th in USA TODAY Sports’ post-spring practice rankings