"Make massive adjustments": CFB insider shares unfiltered assessment of Bill Belichick ahead of Week 2 game

UNC football had a sellout crowd Monday night in Chapel Hill when the Tar Heels played TCU in the opening weekend of the 2025 college football season. The massive turnout was fueled by legendary coach Bill Belichick’s arrival and his decision to lead the program. NBA legend Michael Jordan was also in attendance to support UNC.

However, all the fanfare went to waste as the Tar Heels were crushed by TCU, 48-14, in Belichick’s debut.

There were many holes in UNC's game plan. The first drive led by injured quarterback Gio Lopez appeared to be the only promising play the Tar Heels executed.

Reacting to the performance, analyst Joel Klatt shared his thoughts on Belichick’s strategy. He said the veteran coach will have to adjust to the differences between the college and pro games.

“There were a lot of fixable mistakes out there. Do you really think you're going to give up two defensive touchdowns? probably not. Can you fix gap responsibility on defense? Yeah, absolutely. And I would trust Bill Bellichick would know how to do that. So, the defensive structure will get better,” Klatt said on his show on Tuesday.

Klatt also suggested that Belichick would overhaul the young roster and make changes on the coaching staff as well.

“TCU is quietly one of the better teams in the Big 12. And they proved that on Monday night, and they had something to prove,

“He's going to have to make massive adjustments with that team for North Carolina and they're going to get massively better in situational football. I'm guessing that we're going to see some personnel adjustments because now he's going to have film,” he added.

Bill Belichick vowed to bounce back in coming games

After the 48-14 loss, Bill Belichick briefly spoke with reporters Monday night. Asked about his true feelings on how his team played, especially after cameras showed him looking visibly frustrated, the 72-year-old coach insisted his team is better than what fans saw.

“We're better than what we were tonight, but we have to go out there and show that and prove it. Nobody's going to do it for us. We're going to have to do it ourselves,” Belichick said.

UNC will face Charlotte on the road this weekend. A Week 5 matchup with Clemson will be the real test for Belichick. Making the playoffs appears to be a long shot at this point, but Belichick could aim for at least nine wins this season to set a new benchmark for his young roster