Bill Belichick is setting an unprecedented bar for his first college football season with the Tar Heels. The former Patriots head coach isn’t only just dreaming out of the blue; he is rather crafting a solid plan to make UNC a championship-worthy team heading to the next regular season. Yes, we all know that it’s easier said than done. However, just look at the way the 72-year-old is reshuffling this coaching room. Steve Belichick as the defensive coordinator, Mike Priefer as the special teams coach, Will Friend as the offensive line coach, etc. However, the most compelling one among all is still Michael Lombardi, the new generation manager at UNC who came from the NFL executive rank to join coach Belichick in his pursuit to build a pro-style team at Chapel Hill.

Belichick’s vision for 2025 begins with fostering a culture of understanding and trust within the locker room. He is still fresh in the team and has yet to know the players’ strengths and weaknesses and assess their immediate instincts to different playing circumstances and everything in between. The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach deems the cooperation among the team members as of the highest importance behind a successful program.

For now, the focus is on the spring practice. The goal for Bill Belichick is “…to evaluate the team and see what we actually have.” That’s just the start. “The next thing to do will be to teach them what our fundamentals and techniques and scheme are. So that they can build their way into it, so, you know, we have a lot of work to do.” While he focuses on the intangibles, he has the pro adviser and contributor to the pre- and post-recruitment front in his general manager.

Addressing the brilliant work Lombardy is putting on, the UNC head coach said during his first interview on the Carolina Insider Podcast. ”Mike’s really handled most of the personnel acquisitions and so forth and evaluations, you know. I’ve been part of that with some of the coaches, but we haven’t really had a full staff until recently, so, you know, he’s handled the bulk of that.”

Lombardi previously worked under Belichick from 2014 to 2016 as an assistant coaching staff for the Patriots and also as the Cleveland director of player personnel for the final three years of Belichick’s tenure as a head coach. So, it’s needless to mention that very few in his position could better tap into the coach’s philosophies and vision for the Tar Heels and work relentlessly to make it a reality accordingly.

While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi spilled that he and Belichick consider the Tar Heels program to be the NFL’s “33rd team.” The veteran believes he and Belichick can motivate and coach the players to flame into their highest potential within a structured framework of monetary compensation.

”It’s great to have Mike, you know, and his staff working on the personnel end of it because that, I say it’s half of it, but it’s certainly another major component is the acquisition of players, wherever they come from, high school or ransfer.”  Belichick added, supremely adoring his old peer and the excellent visionary manager he could ever have.

However, despite the classic ambition of the legendary NFL duo, coaches like Dan Lanning made it a bit far-fetched for them to reach their recruitment goal with ease.

Tampering allegations against Dan Lanning raise concern among the CFB head coaches 

The burgeoning NIL culture has steadily undermined the stability and growth of the middle-tier programs and talents in the mix. The situation went to such an extreme that coaches fear the exposure that comes with the spring game kickoff. Nebraska Cornhuskers and Matt Rhule have already let the world know that they would like to refrain from showing up at the upcoming spring game as they believe it will enhance the risk of more poaching and tampering.

While there is no proven connection between the two scenarios, Dan Lanning has seemingly played a passive role in spreading the terror. Indeed, despite his reputation as a seasoned and prolific recruiter, a closer examination reveals someone who is willing to employ any methods to bolster his team.

Former Boise State coach and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter alleged that Dan Lanning, or someone from his staff, went against the NCAA rulebook to add more notable names to his team. Koetter said, “I know for a fact that just last week—after the Fiesta Bowl—one of the key starters on defense got a call from the Oregon Ducks. Offering him $700,000.”

Although it’s too much to believe, Belichick needs to be on high alert pretty early to avoid any hiccups in his lofty UNC goal.