UNC thread

they've fought the good fight for so long now it's part of their identity and will defend it to the bitter end

 

with King committing I'd like to indulge in the beef a little more, incoming OL:

Kelly 6-4 305
McVay 6-6 342
Lindberg 6-6 315
Boone 6-6 340
King 6-5 340



think on paper I'd expect Lindberg/Boone/King to be pushing for a starting job

 

If Hubert doesn’t work out who are the replacement options?

 

Roy Williams is at the tech cincy game wearing a cincy pullover

congrats on the Wes miller hire!

 

genuinely have no idea, just hope it's outside the family

 

ok Elliot

 

was yelling at Ian to throw the lob to Drake

got damn did not see that coming

 

Clemson dodged a bullet missing out on Cade Tyson

 

my god

 

he doesn't bring one single thing to the table, Hubert's jailed plenty of better depth pieces during his tenure, beyond time for Cade

 

this shit's unwatchable

 

wow Forbes paid attention to the Stanford game

 

wild we landed Caleb

 

Think he was getting that year regardless, barring some player mutiny

Hopefully Hubert can bring in some shooting this time

 

inspiring stuff

 

man poor Jalen

 

sounds like it may not be serious

 

grass is returning to Kenan

compilation of intel IC's been able to gather:

Spoiler

1) We first heard initial chatter about this earlier this month, but sources are all aligned now: natural grass is coming back to Kenan Stadium. The field was switched to synthetic turf in 2019 after Mack Brown’s arrival, at a cost of $2.5 million. With Brown’s exit, the field is being switched back.
2) The run of offers and commitments in recent days from three-star high school seniors may seem perplexing considering the depth chart at those positions. Another running back? Another kicker? Another linebacker — and then another? It makes more sense if UNC has 20 more scholarship spots to work with. We’re told Bill Belichick has approval from the school to surpass 85 and head toward the 105 roster/scholarship cap that’s outlined in the House Settlement that is expected to go into effect this summer. Unlike the SEC, which set a conference-wide 85 limit in 2025, the ACC has made no such ruling and given no indication such a limit will be put in place.

3) This also is in line with the approach sources said UNC has taken with the portal, which wasn’t as much about just filling positional holes as it was amassing players that fit the new program profile, with the plan to sort out the depth chart and further evaluate positional needs during spring ball ahead of the next portal window.

4) There has been so much change at the Kenan Football Center in the last month that it’s jarring. The new staff, new players, new approach on all fronts will take the entire offseason (if not longer) to realize and process. One aspect of that is going from a player’s coach to the far other side of that spectrum. We’ve heard the S&C rollout is already off to a rigorous start, and unsurprisingly it's testing the returning players' limits, but the change to far less staff contact and communication thus far has been just as stark for the returning players, we’ve been told.

5) To that end, if you think you’re unclear about which coaches will fill which roles, you’re not alone. The players on the team do not yet have that clarity either, we’ve confirmed across multiple position groups.

6) We’ve previously mentioned the “unconventional” word used to describe the staff approach in the Belichick era. To that end, sources have continued to explain that the lines will be blurred and the delegation less traditional when it comes to position coach, analyst and personnel staffers. (In addition, Belichick’s preference has been to keep it more fluid during the hiring process to maintain versatility.) While that can be confusing to track, this approach can provide more flexibility in terms of who is on the road recruiting and who is working with the players. What’s clear is that Belichick wants to be in the middle of all of it — literally. We’ve been told about a plan to reconstruct the fourth floor of the Kenan Football Center so that Belichick’s office is in a centralized location.

7) The intel has been consistent this month that three staffers under the prior staff — Natrone Means, Caleb Pickrell, Corey Gaynor — are expected to be retained. Means, of course, is the former Tar Heel great at running back who came back to the program to assist the running backs in 2021. Pickrell has also been full time as an analyst with the program since 2022. Gaynor, a former starting center at UNC, was in a non-full time employment role with the program last year after finishing his eligibility in 2023.

8) Most of Belichick’s hires have checked similar boxes, whether young or experienced. The ties to other staffers, as is usually the case, chief among them. Over the last six weeks, we’ve heard and researched many different names, some of which that have come to fruition and others that have not. We’ve heard stories of staffers let go and then re-hired, of a staffer being in Chapel Hill to interview and being spotted walking around in UNC gear while still employed by another school, and of names that we know Belichick spoke with that seemed to check the aforementioned boxes but didn’t end up getting hired.

9) With the caveat of the uncertainty surrounding staff roles and plans, it’s worth noting two items conveyed by recruits that were in attendance the last couple weekends. First, it’s their understanding that Natrone Means will be the running back coach. Second, it’s their understanding that UNC under Steve Belichick will run a 4-2-5 defense. Take those for what they're worth.

10) When assessing UNC’s quarterback room, it’s important to know that the returning veteran in that room is in limbo on multiple fronts. Max Johnson has had an arduous rehab process from the devastating leg injury — and six resulting surgeries -- suffered in the season opener. So while he’s working his way back, and is optimistic he’ll get there, his health status for 2025 is not a sure thing. In addition, he’s a case study in how programs — especially those undergoing a coaching change — handle NIL contracts for returning (injured) players. Johnson was one of the larger NIL signings a year ago, and in Belichick and Lombardi's evaluation of the roster and budget, we’re told they did not want to guarantee his NIL contract for the 2025 year. This was one step of a two-part move by the UNC staff this month, we’ve been told, to further remake the quarterback room by both pushing returning starter Jacolby Criswell into the transfer portal and conveying that Johnson’s contract won’t be guaranteed. How Johnson responds to that move — does he want to look elsewhere or try to earn it back at UNC this spring? — remains to be seen, but the latter option could be complicated by his availability.

 

byes before Clemson and a Thurs/Fri nighter at Cal, set this up real nicely for us

 

knee sprain for Jalen, not expected to play tonight but he's good enough for warm ups at least

 

do not believe him for one solitary second

 

makes Elliot's attempt to squeak that in there even dumber

 

I don't even get mad anymore, Saturday's gonna blow though