UNC Football Catch-all | Bill Belichick Era underway
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GoHeelsweeeehoooo
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I hope we are better next season - that's all I really want
I want way more than that. I want this staff to stockpile talent. I want coaching staff to continue to get better. Mostly I want our fans to buy into what BB is doing, which is laying bricks for long-term success.
RB definitely. Biggest issue with offense this year was not gio. It was we could not run ball. oLine factor obviously but no breakaway speed.
uncjhodges
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The only RB we’ve had visit just commit to BC unfortunately
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I think the portal haul so far has been decent but one that doesn't feel yet (pending any other commitments) that it's going to be a significant needle-mover for this upcoming season. That could certainly change if, for example, we get more OL with actual proven P4 starting experience. IMO the best pickup of the portal for us so far is the LB from Richmond- that's the exact kind of player I've been saying is a steal in the portal: one who has already demonstrated an extremely high level of productivity at the FCS level, but who plays a position that doesn't have a difficult time transferring up to the physicality and speed of the P4 level.
My concern remains that, with a few exceptions, most of the guys we are bringing in from the portal are guys who were previously highly-rated recruits out of HS who committed to "big name" schools but who never cracked regular playing time, haven't produced much when playing, and/or have been injured. I'm concerned that we are still focusing too much on "potential over production" and chasing names and stars, instead of pursuing less-heralded transfers but ones who have a longer track record of demonstrable productivity and game experience. The reason this worries me is because it feels like we're going to try to combine inexperienced guys from the portal with the large class of inexperienced (at the collegiate level) high school recruits, and hope that things go a lot better than last year against what will be a much tougher schedule.
I'm not sold on the QB position. I know Gio Lopez was not good last year, but I also think that he was put in a no-win position by having an awful OC/playcaller and a terrible scheme that did zero to accentuate any strengths that he had and tons to expose his weaknesses. I would honestly feel better about Gio Lopez getting a chance under Bobby Petrino than Billy Edwards. Edwards is on his fourth school in 4 years, and his stats and numbers from his last full season of playing are all very similarly equivalent to the ones that Lopez put up for us last year. I don't have a problem that we decided to not go with Gio for 2026, but I do think that essentially replacing him with what essentially appears on paper to be the lighter-skinned version of him, is not moving the needle in a positive direction at the most important position on the field.
Having said all of that, the great thing is that we retained MAJ and Shipp. Those are bigger "commitments" than any that we could have possibly hoped to land in the portal. Also signals a belief by prominent players, who would have had plenty of options elsewhere had they decided to leave, in whatever the staff is selling. The other good thing is that, regardless of how one feels about Bobby Petrino's professional character, his professional accomplishments are notable and his presence alone should dramatically improve our scheming and playcalling on the offensive side.
So far I'd give the offseason an overall grade of in the "lower B-/upper C+" range, which honestly is a lot higher than I thought it would be in the immediate aftermath of the NCSU game and the announcement of Tyler Thompson leaving. I still think we have a long way to go to win the requisite number of games that I feel should warrant extending this staff to a year 3, but at least we are hopefully making progress toward such.
My concern remains that, with a few exceptions, most of the guys we are bringing in from the portal are guys who were previously highly-rated recruits out of HS who committed to "big name" schools but who never cracked regular playing time, haven't produced much when playing, and/or have been injured. I'm concerned that we are still focusing too much on "potential over production" and chasing names and stars, instead of pursuing less-heralded transfers but ones who have a longer track record of demonstrable productivity and game experience. The reason this worries me is because it feels like we're going to try to combine inexperienced guys from the portal with the large class of inexperienced (at the collegiate level) high school recruits, and hope that things go a lot better than last year against what will be a much tougher schedule.
I'm not sold on the QB position. I know Gio Lopez was not good last year, but I also think that he was put in a no-win position by having an awful OC/playcaller and a terrible scheme that did zero to accentuate any strengths that he had and tons to expose his weaknesses. I would honestly feel better about Gio Lopez getting a chance under Bobby Petrino than Billy Edwards. Edwards is on his fourth school in 4 years, and his stats and numbers from his last full season of playing are all very similarly equivalent to the ones that Lopez put up for us last year. I don't have a problem that we decided to not go with Gio for 2026, but I do think that essentially replacing him with what essentially appears on paper to be the lighter-skinned version of him, is not moving the needle in a positive direction at the most important position on the field.
Having said all of that, the great thing is that we retained MAJ and Shipp. Those are bigger "commitments" than any that we could have possibly hoped to land in the portal. Also signals a belief by prominent players, who would have had plenty of options elsewhere had they decided to leave, in whatever the staff is selling. The other good thing is that, regardless of how one feels about Bobby Petrino's professional character, his professional accomplishments are notable and his presence alone should dramatically improve our scheming and playcalling on the offensive side.
So far I'd give the offseason an overall grade of in the "lower B-/upper C+" range, which honestly is a lot higher than I thought it would be in the immediate aftermath of the NCSU game and the announcement of Tyler Thompson leaving. I still think we have a long way to go to win the requisite number of games that I feel should warrant extending this staff to a year 3, but at least we are hopefully making progress toward such.
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Agreed. That's the one thing about coaching changes and the transfer portal: you can hit a grand slam by getting a good coach and having that good coach bring his best players (Campbell, Cignetti, etc.). Even getting Jon Sumrall last year would have likely meant getting Darian Mensah at QB for UNC.
It's hilarious to me, though, on the flipside that Lane Kiffin abandoned his Ole Miss team during their best season in school history, right before the playoffs, in order to go to LSU where he presumably assumed he would be able to recruit his Ole Miss roster to Baton Rouge after they lost in the playoffs, but now none of the good players from Ole Miss are wanting to follow him, so he's been struggling in the portal, and now he's had to essentially openly tamper with Washington's QB.
Lane was definitely counting on Ole Miss looking hapless against UGA and then all of their best players jumping ship in the aftermath. Nightmare scenario for him. Even though I have no love for Ole Miss it’s still hilarious to see this slowly blowing up in Kiffin’s face.
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You're telling me! My 3-year-old son is in the 96th percentile for height and weight. We thought he was big. His 6-month-old younger brother is even larger: in the 99.99th percentile for height and weight. Bring on all of the NIL chaos in about 15ish years or so!
stankeylegjones
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Yep. Unfortunately, prior to Belichick's involvement in the hiring process, UNC wasn't going to pony up nearly enough money to get him (or anyone else close) and definitely not enough for the players to follow.
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Maybe they will all 3 go to the CFP together
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Yeah. That does, unfortunately, seem to be probable based on what we've heard since then. The bit we've heard about UNC initially thinking that they'd pay the next coach in the $5M range was sobering.
I still think that a guy like Jon Sumrall, almost by sole virtue of being able to bring Darian Mensah, would have been a better move, and I felt that way even long before this season was a trainwreck, but yeah, it does seem like UNC wasn't serious about understanding the level of financial commitment this new world of college football truly requires to be good.
superrific
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Don't count on the 6 mo data holding up. My eldest was huge as a baby. He ended up 6'1".
The rule of thumb, take a boy's height at age 2 and double it, is surprisingly accurate for white people. I have always been skeptical as hell, but I looked into it. It's not precise (it can vary by an inch or two), and it's not 100% predictive even within that margin, but it can tell you whether you have a future PG or future PF on your hands (assuming those positions remain somewhat distinct).
uncjhodges
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Usually i use mid parental height. Which is ((mothers height +5 inches) +dads height)/ 2. that’s for boys. For girls you subtract 5 from dad and average it with moms.
so if you’re dad was 6 foot an mom 5’9, then kid will be 6’1 ish