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North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick and GM Mike Lombardi want to recruit more freshmen. They struggled to find talent in the transfer portal this past cycle. They hope freshmen can help, but it may not deliver the results people expect. UNC is paying $50 million over five years, and the pressure is high.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio warns they might already be behind. Freshman-heavy teams only work if you consistently bring in top classes year after year. UNC hasn’t had that chance after Mack Brown was fired.
Belichick and Lombardi have spent more than 40 years working with NFL players, not high-schoolers. Florio points out that picking college talent is very different from the NFL. He writes that Belichick’s coaching skills might not overcome a weak recruiting class in 2025.
Florio asks a simple question: who is better at spotting high-school talent, people who have done it for decades or someone who has only worked in the NFL?
Belichick is known for doing things his way. In the NFL, that led to Tom Brady leaving the Patriots. Now at UNC, it shows in different ways, like his girlfriend Jordon Hudson walking the sidelines.
College football demands trusting the process. Even coaches like Deion Sanders needed time to see results. His Colorado Buffaloes didn’t win big until the second season.
Belichick and Lombardi can sign all the top freshmen they want. But if they want quick success, they’ll also need upperclassmen who can make an immediate impact.