The UNC Tar Heels are a fabled school in the collegiate sports paradigm. However, that reputation stems from the hardwood, not the gridiron. After the football program abruptly gave their winningest HC ever, Mack Brown, the boot,  most expected them to pivot. Pivot into perhaps a young, up-and-coming coordinator somewhere. Or even attempt to lure a successful head coach elsewhere to jump ship. Somebody who’s versed with the changing dynamics of the college game in the NIL and transfer portal era. Someone who they can entrust with knowing exactly how to go about building a successful collegiate program. Well, UNC ended up with Bill Belichick. So what does one do when they’re the greatest NFL coach ever but have no experience at the college level? Turns out they just bring over the same stuff, hoping to spark a revolution.

With his first off-season in Chapel Hill well underway, UNC is reaping the rewards that naturally come with having a figure of Belichick’s ilk in the building. Tar Heels football has suddenly become mainstream. With such a publicly revered icon stepping into uncharted territory, there is a whole lot of buzz. Everyone wishes to know how Belichick builds a college program from scratch. Witnessing the nitty-gritties of a potential Patriots 2.0. The first glimpse of this has come courtesy of spring camp. Bill Belichick took his troops out on the field, and everyone noticed something peculiar. Something only those privy to how he began things within New England understood, leaving the rest searching for answers. Those answers are now conspicuous.

UNC is practicing with jerseys that have no names or numbers on them. Veiled behind anonymity. Now, athletes are often synonymous with their jersey numbers. It becomes an identity, and certain numbers carry special weight. They’re never hollow, either. The digits are woven in not only with threads and needles but with emotions. The stories behind why athletes pick specific numbers are almost always remarkable. Maybe homage to a favorite player, superstition, or historic lineage. But being synonymous with the number on your back isn’t a great thing on the practice field. Especially with a new coaching staff that probably doesn’t even know your name yet! 

Sure, you can get away without knowing everyone’s name on a near 100-man roster. But that’s not how you build connections with people you’re going to war with on Saturdays, is it? Plus, playing without numbers or names means every player gets a clean slate. Whether you were a star under the previous regime or a benchwarmer. Everybody gets an equal chance to leave an impression on Bill Belichick. UNC’s new GM Michael Lombardi guested on “The Pat McAfee Show”, where the namesake host probed him into spilling the reason behind practicing with name and number-less jerseys. All this was baked into the equation, but his answer boiled down to one word- communication.

“There’s a method to everything coach [Bill Belichick] does,” remarked Lombardi.  “One of the things we have to work on here at North Carolina is our communication, right? You we got to know everybody on the team. We’ve got to be able to not just call out, ‘Hey, 79! You’ve got that A gap. [Or] you’ve got to slide down.’” Michael Lombardi mentioned how Belichick did the exact same with the Pats. As well as tying in what the reaction was then.

“When we did it in New England, everybody felt like we didn’t want the media to know who the players were. Well, that wasn’t true at all. We wanted to work on communication, and that’s what we’re doing here.” he said. It’s not all that easy to play with blank jerseys, though, and Lombardi pointed to its biggest disadvantage, too. Something that can be a cause for concern within some circles.

Michael Lombardi admits to not being an advocate for Bill Belichick’s quirky method

It’s all fun and games when you imagine this scenario playing out. Every player- freshman or senior, walk-on or 5-star- getting equal opportunity to shine. No prejudice that stems from a big name whatsoever. Parity for everyone. Plus, you’re creating real intrinsic bonds, getting to know each other. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though. Think about what follows on from practice- film study. What a chore that must be when you’ve got little to no clue about who the player on screen is. Michael Lombardi delved into this very “nightmare” he and Bill Belichick face. As well as how they navigate around it. After all, they’re experienced in working with this very thing in the NFL.

Pat McAfee floated that “When you’re watching film…Ah! That has to be a nightmare.” Lombardi, shaking his head from side to side, replied, “I would like the numbers on them!” This implies it’s indeed Bill Belichick pulling for this quirky but effective technique. No surprises whatsoever. “[When] you go out there, you have to mark the players on your sheet,” continued Lombardi. He hinted at doing so by noting down unique features like gear, accessories, arm-sleeves and just about anything that can help him identify players.

Does this actually hamper UNC’s ability to break down the film? It seems far-fetched in all honestly, but one thing that’s certain is that the takeaways can’t be 100% perfect every time. There’s a second-string corner somewhere in there who Belichick has mistaken for a star safety or something. Alas, the UNC fans and brass twon’t be worried about those nitpicks as long as it shows up i their performances come fall. Bill Belichick brings you eyeballs and attention, but it also brings expectations. Expectations that this program may not be able to live up to in Year 1.