One thing that Bill Belichick hasn’t done much of since being hired at UNC is speak to the media. There was the opening press conference, the interview with Jones Angell and Adam Lucas, plus the availability he had with the media down in Florida during the ACC Spring Meetings. Beyond that, though, he really hasn’t been speaking much.
On Thursday, though, that changed. With the ACC Kickoff happening in Charlotte, the Tar Heels were scheduled to speak to the media at large in the later afternoon. Like
everyone else, Carolina brought the head coach as well as four players including quarterback Gio Lopez, wide receiver Jordan Shipp, and defensive backs Thaddeus Dixon and Will Hardy.
The players deserve their own space, and as their arrival to Charlotte was later in the day it’s likely several of their interviews won’t be put out until later. On Sunday, we’ll have a roundup of the interviews given by them.
For obvious reasons the star of the show was Belichick. The lack of availability over the course of the past few months created a demand that many media members wanted to take advantage of. To UNC and Belichick’s credit, they recognized that in this environment, local reporters were going to have a tough time getting questions through. Instead of picking and choosing which outlet they would go visit, Belichick offered an availability just for Triangle and UNC beat reporters in the morning.
It became clear pretty quick that reporters that tried to hint at what sort of succession plan or how long Belichick would coach weren’t going to get much of an answer. Effectively stretching the “one day at a time” metaphor for several minutes. He did take several opportunities to point out the time he’d spent with donors, the Athletic Directors, and Chancellor Lee Roberts.
Belichick then did a hit with ESPN.
Again, nothing major revealed, but you got the first hint of just how much of a circus Belichick being there was going to be.
The Belichick media circus in full force.#UNC pic.twitter.com/L8hxu9zYCL
— R.L. Bynum (@rl-bynum.bsky.social on Bluesky) (@RL_Bynum) July 24, 2025
Next up was his general availability and it was, to put it mildly, full.
Never been this full for an ACC coach’s press conference before…
— Joe Ovies (@joeovies.bsky.social) 2025-07-24T18:08:35.441Z
This led to a short session of question and answers from Belichick and the players.
After this, all five had breakout sessions. Again, the amount of people hoping to get a question in for Belichick was high:
Amazing pic.twitter.com/XBWQP0k2AC
— Joe Ovies (@joeovies) July 24, 2025
Thus closed the circus from the Belichick side for the day.
The next step for the coach is to take off the suit and put on all the UNC-themed clothes as he and the 2025 UNC football team steps out onto the practice fields for summer camp, set to begin soon. It’ll be Labor Day before we know it, and just as a reminder of how big Belichick coaching his first game would be, ESPN let everyone know their plans for the pregame before the home opener against TCU.
Sept. 1, ESPN will present a special college football Week 1 pregame show live from @UNC on Labor Day
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) July 24, 2025
Airing from the sidelines of Kenan Stadium ahead of Bill Belichick's CFB coaching debut as @UNCFootball hosts @TCUFootball
7p ET | ESPN
Details: https://t.co/NzokbgJCqK pic.twitter.com/CheeXUmL27
No, it’s not Gameday as those only occur on Saturdays—but ESPN is going to have an hour long pregame show—and no doubt coverage before hand—with a host and five analysts. They also committed to their top announcing team—Rece Davis will be doing play-by-play as Chris Fowler will be in New York for the US Open—to calling the game. It will, without a doubt, be the most hype and attention for a football game in Chapel Hill since 1997’s game against FSU.
The question, of course, is whether this will result in an actual win.
More from tarheelblog.com:
- Joel Berry will return to North Carolina for his senior year
- Kevin Knox recruiting: Which school will land the five-star wing?
- Embracing the new era of the NBA Draft process
- Theo Pinson will enter the NBA Draft; won’t hire an agent
- UNC football recruiting: Tre Turner names North Carolina in his top 10 schools
- UNC, the NCAA, and the AFAM scandal: For people with a life
