The Tar Heels are returning talented players on the offensive line and at wide receiver, as well as bringing in the ninth best transfer class in college football.
With North Carolina’s past struggles with defense, especially in the secondary, the revamped defense under new defensive coordinator Steve Belichick should at least give UNC a chance against the talented returning quarterbacks at TCU and preseason No. 4 Clemson.
The Tigers and the Horned Frogs will be two of North Carolina’s toughest opponents in an otherwise manageable schedule.
Still, other than UNC’s rival in Duke and its bully–of-late, N.C. State, there are a few stumbling blocks in the schedule where the rebuilt roster will be tested.
So, allowing for a pair of good losses and perhaps a bad loss somewhere along the way, my cautiously optimistic record prediction for the 2025 UNC football team is 9-3.
Brian:
This season will be unlike any other for UNC football with the hiring of Bill Belichick. The media frenzy is in full force, and all eyes are on the program in Chapel Hill. That kind of attention brings about high expectations.
For me, the question isn’t whether the Tar Heels will lose in similar late-game fashion as they have in years past — because with Belichick at the helm, those loses won’t happen. But rather, the main question for me is this: does North Carolina have the talent to compete with the top of the ACC?
A completely revamped and overhauled roster consisting largely of transfers will have to come together quickly. Coming in with the ninth-ranked transfer portal group according to 247Sports, I believe the talent is sufficient though, with the main area of improvement coming on defense.
Though, the most critical factor to look at when evaluating how well UNC will do this season is the schedule. The Tar Heels play only two preseason top-eight teams in the ACC and face five of the bottom six.
With an easy schedule and what I believe to be a talented enough roster, the Tar Heels will see drastic improvement this season.
My record prediction is 10-2 with losses coming at the hands of TCU and Clemson.
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@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com
Brian D’Aguanno is the 2025 Summer Sports Editor and an incoming 2025-26 Assistant Sports Editor.