UNC Football Catch-all | Bill Belichick Era underway

[SnoopRob]

Ok. He posted a timeline with facts. Do you dispute them? If you want to focus on one how about Chandler Morris? It was reported ML said he was not good enough. ML was not hired yet according to that timeline. If he is making things up I would love to know that. So far nobody disputes the info?@

The timeline does not disprove the Chandler Morris story.

Here is the relevant portion of The Athletic (not SI) story concerning Chandler Morris & UNC...

North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris had thrown for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns when he put his name in the transfer portal shortly after the 2024 regular season. Two days later, on Dec. 11, North Carolina announced its hire of Bill Belichick. Morris, now a sixth-year senior, who’d previously played at Oklahoma and TCU, made it known he was interested in coming to play for the six-time Super Bowl champion.

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster. He didn’t want Morris, who was about 6-feet, 190 pounds, and did not have the strongest arm. Purdue’s Ryan Browne, a 6-4, 210-pounder who had started two games for a 2-10 Boilers team, better fit the mold he and Belichick were seeking. Lombardi didn’t hold back letting UNC’s personnel staffers, a mix of holdovers and new hires, know why.

“You just don’t understand what it takes to play in the National Football League,” he told staffers, according to a person briefed on the conversation, who, like more than 20 people interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity about their experiences of private conversations and decision-making within the program.

Of course, knowing what it takes to play in the NFL might not be the same thing as knowing what it takes to win college football games, or more specifically, how the more mobile Morris might be a better fit than Browne to navigate behind an overmatched offensive line. Browne transferred to Chapel Hill, but bailed to go back to Purdue later in the spring. Morris signed with Virginia, a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, where he’s led the Cavaliers into the AP top 20.

The timeline (all via Google as I don't have IC premium)...

Bill Belichick hired as UNC HC on December 11
Chandler Morris commits to Virginia on December 16
Michael Lombardi hired as UNC GM on December 17

However, let's look closely at what The Athletic article says about Lombardi...

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster.

The Athletic is clear that Lombardi was "already making decisions" for Carolina Football, with the wording implying that it was in some "unofficial" capacity. Which would make sense if Lombardi had not been officially hired as Carolina Football.

And from other media, we can easily determine that Lombardi was being presented at the GM of Carolina Football before his official hire date of December 17th, as we have evidence from a wide vareity of sources...

The NY Post on December 11
NBC Sports on December 11

And here he is on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on December 12th, where he was introduced as Carolina Football's GM.



What is clear from these sources is that Lombardi was by December 11th & 12th already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football's GM.

And, since Lombardi was already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football GM by this time, that means he would have been in a position to comment on Chandler Morris before he committed to Virginia and so the timeline does not disprove The Athletic story.

 

[Peppers49]

Thank you and I agree with everything you say but blaming fans for selling our potential so short.

The frequent blame game has focused on not hiring the right coaches and for fans not expecting more.

I submit after hiring dozens and dozens of different coaches and staffs over the last 100 years , the problem is not hiring the wrong coaches unless we assume we have made dozens and dozens of bad coaching choices over 100 years.

I appreciate the eternal faith of "wait until next year" fans, but I don't think if 100% of the fan base had that perspective, we would turn around 100 years of history.

I don't feel fans like me are selling our potential short. I think we are fans who want to enjoy the years where we have a winning season and beat our instate rivals rather than be bitter and angry fans who want us to be Georgia, Alabama, or Ohio State.

No reasonable fans are bitter that we aren’t Georgia or Ohio State. That’s just a played out straw man that isn’t true, no matter how many times you say it.

 

[CFordUNC]

Eff. The game at NC State is a 7:30 kick. Not that it really matters all that much anyway because we probably aren't beating them, but would have much more preferred a nooner in the Cow Pasture versus night game. They might suck this year but Doeren will have them whipped into a lather to want to kick our ass again. I already endured one 5-game losing streak to State when I was in school- sucks that we are likely on the precipice of another.

 

[CFordUNC]

Thank you and I agree with everything you say but blaming fans for selling our potential so short.

The frequent blame game has focused on not hiring the right coaches and for fans not expecting more.

I submit after hiring dozens and dozens of different coaches and staffs over the last 100 years , the problem is not hiring the wrong coaches unless we assume we have made dozens and dozens of bad coaching choices over 100 years.

I appreciate the eternal faith of "wait until next year" fans, but I don't think if 100% of the fan base had that perspective, we would turn around 100 years of history.

I don't feel fans like me are selling our potential short. I think we are fans who want to enjoy the years where we have a winning season and beat our instate rivals rather than be bitter and angry fans who want us to be Georgia, Alabama, or Ohio State.

In the last 40 years preceding this most recent one, we've actually hired more "good" coaches than "bad" coaches. Mack 1.0 was a great hire. Carl Torbush was a lazy hire. John Bunting was an awful hire. Butch Davis was a great hire. Larry Fedora was a good hire. Mack 2.0 would have been a "fine" hire if the initial "3 years to steady the program and then pass it off in better shape" bill of goods that we were sold had actually come to pass. I don't think our problem is coaching as much as it is lack of care and middling institutional investment on the part of the University.

Nobody in our fanbase expects us to be Alabama or Ohio State or Georgia, IMO. Most reasonable UNC fans think that the flagship university, with arguably the biggest brand in college sports, located in one of the most populous (and growing) states with fertile recruiting territory, with an affluent and generous donor base, playing in the weakest power conference in the country, should be able to relatively easily manage 8-9 wins virtually every year with the *occasional* run at a 10-11-win season, ACC title contention, and playoff berth contention every so often for good measure.

 

[Calheel]

In the last 40 years preceding this most recent one, we've actually hired more "good" coaches than "bad" coaches. Mack 1.0 was a great hire. Carl Torbush was a lazy hire. John Bunting was an awful hire. Butch Davis was a great hire. Larry Fedora was a good hire. Mack 2.0 would have been a "fine" hire if the initial "3 years to steady the program and then pass it off in better shape" bill of goods that we were sold had actually come to pass. I don't think our problem is coaching as much as it is lack of care and middling institutional investment on the part of the University.

Nobody in our fanbase expects us to be Alabama or Ohio State or Georgia, IMO. Most reasonable UNC fans think that the flagship university, with arguably the biggest brand in college sports, located in one of the most populous (and growing) states with fertile recruiting territory, with an affluent and generous donor base, playing in the weakest power conference in the country, should be able to relatively easily manage 8-9 wins virtually every year with the *occasional* run at a 10-11-win season, ACC title contention, and playoff berth contention every so often for good measure.

Would Carl Torbush have been a lazy hire if it worked out?

How does the laziness of his hiring compare to Kyle Wittingham at Utah?

 

[heelinhell]

No reasonable fans are bitter that we aren’t Georgia or Ohio State. That’s just a played out straw man that isn’t true, no matter how many times you say it.

It's not a straw man. It captures those fans who at the beginning of each season who expect to win 9-10-11-12 games.

By no means do I include you in that group, but I would be interested to get your expectation of what you think fans should expect as a football program year after year.

 

[heel79]

The timeline does not disprove the Chandler Morris story.

Here is the relevant portion of The Athletic (not SI) story concerning Chandler Morris & UNC...

North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris had thrown for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns when he put his name in the transfer portal shortly after the 2024 regular season. Two days later, on Dec. 11, North Carolina announced its hire of Bill Belichick. Morris, now a sixth-year senior, who’d previously played at Oklahoma and TCU, made it known he was interested in coming to play for the six-time Super Bowl champion.

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster. He didn’t want Morris, who was about 6-feet, 190 pounds, and did not have the strongest arm. Purdue’s Ryan Browne, a 6-4, 210-pounder who had started two games for a 2-10 Boilers team, better fit the mold he and Belichick were seeking. Lombardi didn’t hold back letting UNC’s personnel staffers, a mix of holdovers and new hires, know why.

“You just don’t understand what it takes to play in the National Football League,” he told staffers, according to a person briefed on the conversation, who, like more than 20 people interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity about their experiences of private conversations and decision-making within the program.

Of course, knowing what it takes to play in the NFL might not be the same thing as knowing what it takes to win college football games, or more specifically, how the more mobile Morris might be a better fit than Browne to navigate behind an overmatched offensive line. Browne transferred to Chapel Hill, but bailed to go back to Purdue later in the spring. Morris signed with Virginia, a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, where he’s led the Cavaliers into the AP top 20.

The timeline (all via Google as I don't have IC premium)...

Bill Belichick hired as UNC HC on December 11
Chandler Morris commits to Virginia on December 16
Michael Lombardi hired as UNC GM on December 17

However, let's look closely at what The Athletic article says about Lombardi...

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster.

The Athletic is clear that Lombardi was "already making decisions" for Carolina Football, with the wording implying that it was in some "unofficial" capacity. Which would make sense if Lombardi had not been officially hired as Carolina Football.

And from other media, we can easily determine that Lombardi was being presented at the GM of Carolina Football before his official hire date of December 17th, as we have evidence from a wide vareity of sources...

The NY Post on December 11
NBC Sports on December 11

And here he is on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on December 12th, where he was introduced as Carolina Football's GM.



What is clear from these sources is that Lombardi was by December 11th & 12th already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football's GM.

And, since Lombardi was already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football GM by this time, that means he would have been in a position to comment on Chandler Morris before he committed to Virginia and so the timeline does not disprove The Athletic story.

The timeline does not disprove the Chandler Morris story.

Here is the relevant portion of The Athletic (not SI) story concerning Chandler Morris & UNC...

North Texas quarterback Chandler Morris had thrown for 3,774 yards and 31 touchdowns when he put his name in the transfer portal shortly after the 2024 regular season. Two days later, on Dec. 11, North Carolina announced its hire of Bill Belichick. Morris, now a sixth-year senior, who’d previously played at Oklahoma and TCU, made it known he was interested in coming to play for the six-time Super Bowl champion.

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster. He didn’t want Morris, who was about 6-feet, 190 pounds, and did not have the strongest arm. Purdue’s Ryan Browne, a 6-4, 210-pounder who had started two games for a 2-10 Boilers team, better fit the mold he and Belichick were seeking. Lombardi didn’t hold back letting UNC’s personnel staffers, a mix of holdovers and new hires, know why.

“You just don’t understand what it takes to play in the National Football League,” he told staffers, according to a person briefed on the conversation, who, like more than 20 people interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity about their experiences of private conversations and decision-making within the program.

Of course, knowing what it takes to play in the NFL might not be the same thing as knowing what it takes to win college football games, or more specifically, how the more mobile Morris might be a better fit than Browne to navigate behind an overmatched offensive line. Browne transferred to Chapel Hill, but bailed to go back to Purdue later in the spring. Morris signed with Virginia, a program that hasn’t had a winning season since 2019, where he’s led the Cavaliers into the AP top 20.

The timeline (all via Google as I don't have IC premium)...

Bill Belichick hired as UNC HC on December 11
Chandler Morris commits to Virginia on December 16
Michael Lombardi hired as UNC GM on December 17

However, let's look closely at what The Athletic article says about Lombardi...

Belichick’s right-hand man, general manager Michael Lombardi, was already making the decisions when it came to overhauling UNC’s roster.

The Athletic is clear that Lombardi was "already making decisions" for Carolina Football, with the wording implying that it was in some "unofficial" capacity. Which would make sense if Lombardi had not been officially hired as Carolina Football.

And from other media, we can easily determine that Lombardi was being presented at the GM of Carolina Football before his official hire date of December 17th, as we have evidence from a wide vareity of sources...

The NY Post on December 11
NBC Sports on December 11

And here he is on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on December 12th, where he was introduced as Carolina Football's GM.



What is clear from these sources is that Lombardi was by December 11th & 12th already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football's GM.

And, since Lombardi was already publicly known and acting as Carolina Football GM by this time, that means he would have been in a position to comment on Chandler Morris before he committed to Virginia and so the timeline does not disprove The Athletic story.

Kids typically know where they are headed when enter portal. The groundwork has been laid. Hell that was true with gio and us. Morris disputes the story. We were never in contact with Morris according to the parties.

ETA: I rechecked. Morris entered portal two days before BB hired and committed 4 days after. According to him no contact. He was ranked 27th portal QB. Gio 31st.

 

[heelinhell]

In the last 40 years preceding this most recent one, we've actually hired more "good" coaches than "bad" coaches. Mack 1.0 was a great hire. Carl Torbush was a lazy hire. John Bunting was an awful hire. Butch Davis was a great hire. Larry Fedora was a good hire. Mack 2.0 would have been a "fine" hire if the initial "3 years to steady the program and then pass it off in better shape" bill of goods that we were sold had actually come to pass. I don't think our problem is coaching as much as it is lack of care and middling institutional investment on the part of the University.

Nobody in our fanbase expects us to be Alabama or Ohio State or Georgia, IMO. Most reasonable UNC fans think that the flagship university, with arguably the biggest brand in college sports, located in one of the most populous (and growing) states with fertile recruiting territory, with an affluent and generous donor base, playing in the weakest power conference in the country, should be able to relatively easily manage 8-9 wins virtually every year with the *occasional* run at a 10-11-win season, ACC title contention, and playoff berth contention every so often for good measure.

Thank you CFord for being willing to stake out what fans should expect year after year... a minimum of 8-9 wins and an occasional 10-11 wins and a national championship playoff berth every so often.

I wonder if peppers concurs that we should expect that year after year.

 

[CFordUNC]

Would Carl Torbush have been a lazy hire if it worked out?

How does the laziness of his hiring compare to Kyle Wittingham at Utah?

Great question and great comparison. I think that's totally fair and valid. I was only 6 at the time of his hire so admittedly I'm only going by what I've read and heard through the years. But my understanding of the Torbush hire as it differentiates from the Wittingham hire is that at the time of Mack 1.0's departure, UNC was arguably a top 3 job in college football at that time given the strength of the current roster, the new football facility, etc. I don't remember where Utah was at the time of their elevation of Wittingham but I can't imagine they were nearly as desirable of a job as was UNC in 1998. I just think that UNC missed a great opportunity to conduct a thorough national search.

 

[CFordUNC]

Thank you CFord for being willing to stake out what fans should expect year after year... a minimum of 8-9 wins and an occasional 10-11 wins and a national championship playoff berth every so often.

I wonder if peppers concurs that we should expect that year after year.

Now, if we get into the SEC in a few years, let me amend those numbers....

 

[SnoopRob]

Kids typically know where they are headed when enter portal. The groundwork has been laid. Hell that was true with gio and us. Morris disputes the story. We were never in contact with Morris according to the parties.

Morris entertained numerous teams before selecting Virginia, so he wasn't a full-on lock.

If we didn't reach out to Morris before he selected Virginia, then that is as damning for Belichick & Lombardi as the story The Athletic told.

I'm guessing there was never serious discussions between Morris & UNC, but it would be a significant failing of our coaching staff to not at least make contact and kick the tires on a QB in the portal at the level of Chandler Morris, especially given how we ended up doing at QB this season.

 

[gregh1]

Morris entertained numerous teams before selecting Virginia, so he wasn't a full-on lock.

Curious about this. Who were the teams? His relationship with Tony makes me feel he was a lock to UVA.

 

[heel79]

Morris entertained numerous teams before selecting Virginia, so he wasn't a full-on lock.

If we didn't reach out to Morris before he selected Virginia, then that is as damning for Belichick & Lombardi as the story The Athletic told.

I'm guessing there was never serious discussions between Morris & UNC, but it would be a significant failing of our coaching staff to not at least make contact and kick the tires on a QB in the portal at the level of Chandler Morris, especially given how we ended up doing at QB this season.

Again that deal was likely done. Morris was not mateer or Mendoza. He has played well. Good for him. But he was 27th in portal. That BB did no teach out in that 4 day window I don't think is damning at all. Hindsight and all.

 

[gregh1]

Eff. The game at NC State is a 7:30 kick. Not that it really matters all that much anyway because we probably aren't beating them, but would have much more preferred a nooner in the Cow Pasture versus night game. They might suck this year but Doeren will have them whipped into a lather to want to kick our ass again. I already endured one 5-game losing streak to State when I was in school- sucks that we are likely on the precipice of another.

They're an underdawg AT FSU 8PM this sat. There's a chance they roll into that game needing to beat us to go bowling.

 

[Peppers49]

Thank you CFord for being willing to stake out what fans should expect year after year... a minimum of 8-9 wins and an occasional 10-11 wins and a national championship playoff berth every so often.

I wonder if peppers concurs that we should expect that year after year.

I would say that’s also roughly what my realistic expectation for UNC football would look like if/when we hit on the right coach.

Consistently winning 9ish games and being a fringe top 20-25 team year over year. Actually breaking through for a double digit win season every now and then when the schedule breaks the right way (call it twice every 10 years maybe?) where we have a legitimate chance to win the conference and make the playoff. I’m also good with the occasional rebuild/retool season where we struggle to make a bowl game as long as it’s not a trend.

 

[SnoopRob]

Curious about this. Who were the teams? His relationship with Tony makes me feel he was a lock to UVA.

The ESPN article I linked says Oklahoma State, UCF and Memphis were after him (among others).

I would imagine that UVa was certainly on his radar given the existing relationships when he entered the portal, but taking a week to commit doesn't suggest "already picked his next school before entering".

 

[SnoopRob]

Again that deal was likely done. Morris was not mateer or Mendoza. He has played well. Good for him. But he was 27th in portal. That BB did no teach out in that 4 day window I don't think is damning at all. Hindsight and all.

As I said to gregh1, he took a week to pick a school and was connected to other schools in some capacity, I don't think this was 100% an "already committed to the next school" situation.

We took Ryan Browne (ranked 43rd) out of the winter portal and ended up with Gio Lopez (ranked 31st) out of the spring portal. If we didn't at least reach out to the 27th ranked QB who entered the winter portal - which provides the opportunity to commit and go through spring practice at the new school - to check on his potential interest, that's a failure by our recuiting/coaching staff...no ifs, ands, or buts.

 

[gregh1]

The ESPN article I linked says Oklahoma State, UCF and Memphis were after him (among others).

I would imagine that UVa was certainly on his radar given the existing relationships when he entered the portal, but taking a week to commit doesn't suggest "already picked his next school before entering".

he visited Ok st. Former Sooners, TCU QB Chandler Morris to Visit Oklahoma State

 

[Calheel]

As I said to gregh1, he took a week to pick a school and was connected to other schools in some capacity, I don't think this was 100% an "already committed to the next school" situation.

We took Ryan Browne (ranked 43rd) out of the winter portal and ended up with Gio Lopez (ranked 31st) out of the spring portal. If we didn't at least reach out to the 27th ranked QB who entered the winter portal - which provides the opportunity to commit and go through spring practice at the new school - to check on his potential interest, that's a failure by our recuiting/coaching staff...no ifs, ands, or buts.

The problem wasn’t failing to contact the 27th prospect. It was the decision to contact the 31st prospect.

 

[SnoopRob]

he visited Ok st. Former Sooners, TCU QB Chandler Morris to Visit Oklahoma State

Thanks for finding that. I had looked very briefly but didn't see that article.