A new report offers up new details on the terrible job Bill Belichick and his general manager, Mike Lombardi, have done during their first year trying to rebuild the North Carolina football program.
The Tar Heels are on a bye this week, but the program has been the source of headlines all week. A huge report this week revealed details about ongoing dysfunction inside the program. This included cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins being suspended over allegations of violating NCAA rules by giving extra benefits to the relatives of UNC players.
Days later, Andrew Jones of 24/7 Sports reported, “There are many other violations that have occurred, many on the recruiting front,” and that UNC administrators had begun “potential exit strategy discussions” this week. While the school has looked to quiet the speculation that Belichick could be fired soon, a report from The Athletic has offered up new details about the poor leadership and organization at the top of the North Carolina Football program.
Bill Belichick, Mike Lombardi had little knowledge of how to recruit players in 2025
After being hired as the new head coach at UNC, Bill Belichick made New England Patriots alum Mike Lombardi his first major hire to serve as the program’s first general manager. On paper, that made sense. He had a wealth of football knowledge as part of pro front offices. However, that was in the NFL.
According to sources that spoke with The Athletic, it became evident quickly that the pair of decades-long pals had no idea how to recruit in college football. The report claims the “arrogant” NFL veterans had no relationships whatsoever with high school players — no surprise — but more importantly, current college talent. Which is key right now since the transfer portal allows for new regimes to get immediate results.
“Two people at the university who interacted with the duo during that time said Belichick and Lombardi needed a crash course on how the college name, image, and likeness space worked,” the outlet reports.
They also preferred to do their own evaluations on recruits and did not use the advice and knowledge of Mack Brown’s remaining staff earlier this year. They fired that staff, but then had to allegedly bring some of them back because they were so overwhelmed by the task they were ill-prepared for.
North Carolina GM has a terrible reputation with college football agents
The Athletic spoke with six agents for college players, and they claimed that Lombardi came off as “either abrasive or dismissive” during negotiations for players. One agent was also baffled by the fact that none of the coaches played a role in recruiting their player. A common practice during the process by pretty much every school.
During one player and his agent’s visit to Chapel Hill, Lombardi told them, “We don’t fall in love (with players),” and “gave a sales pitch about why would you say no to Bill Belichick?” Another agent claimed the GM made a sizable initial offer for his client, then kept lowering it as negotiations played out. Sources say the pair simply just didn’t understand how the new salary structure in college football works.
“Three people said they overspent on some positions while hunting for bargains at others. ‘Initially, they thought people would flock to play for (Belichick) and take less money,” a UNC source told the outlet, “but they realized fast that that wasn’t the case.”
It is just more damning information that the men leading a program that is currently 2-3 are in over their heads and not building the infrastructure to turn things around in the months ahead.
