As if you couldn’t get more excited for the 2025 UNC football season, read this: Week 1 is less than two weeks away.
The Tar Heels made a significant investment in their football program last December, hiring Bill Belichick to be their next head coach. Despite winning eight Super Bowls in the NFL, Belichick is a first-time coach at the college level, but he quickly squashed any doubts.
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North Carolina, mired in mediocrity, is hoping Belichick will turn them into a consistent winning power. On the latest episode of ESPN’s College Gameday Podcast, former Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson said 2025 is – essentially – UNC’s do-or-die moment.
“I really view this as North Carolina’s all-in moment in football,” said Clawson. “You know, I think they’ve always been viewed as a basketball school first. And, the level of investment they have in Bill, his staff, the strength staff, and the level of investment they have in the players is a lot different than the support that Mack (Brown) got. I would not underestimate his ability to adapt. He’s arguably the greatest NFL football coach ever. And, you know, again, I keep going back to this but, they have talent, they’re going to be well-coached, and they have an extremely favorable schedule,” added Clawson.
Named 2021’s ACC Coach of the Year for leading Wake Forest to a 11-3 record and ACC Championship appearance, Clawson retired after the Demon Deacons’ disappointing 2024 campaign. UNC beat Wake Forest on November 16 last year, becoming bowl eligible for the sixth-straight season by doing so.
No one is expecting the Tar Heels to be National Championship contenders, but people are expecting a winning program. Belichick reshaped North Carolina’s 2025 roster through the transfer portal, landing projected starters like Gio Lopez and Andrew Simpson, while flipping several class of 2026 recruits.
UNC should set attainable goals first, like beating TCU in Week 1 – and snapping its long losing streak to NC State. Then, the Tar Heels can aim for the stars: winning an ACC Championship, followed by a College Football Playoff appearance and – the ultimate prize in CFB – a National Championship.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football season its “all-in” moment according to Dave Clawson
