The 2025 North Carolina football team might have the most attention of any program in the country. Bill Belichick was hired to replace Mack Brown as the head coach, and all the attention has been on the Tar Heels since. That hiring signaled a massive shift, telling everyone that the landscape in college has changed and that the Tar Heels are going all in on trying to compete at that level.
The Tar Heels open their season in a massive game against TCU on Labor Day. The Horned Frogs bring back a lot from last year, and they could be contenders in the Big 12. When talking with the media on Wednesday, Bill Belichick singled out how this offense looks and how it could be very explosive. He credited Sonny Dykes and Kendal Briles on the coaching staff and how explosive they try to be on that side of the ball.
“The number of explosive plays they get is impressive. Offensively, they can throw the ball down the field, go routes, post routes, seam routes, and other things,” Belichick said. “They can also throw the ball on intermediate throws, like slants and quick end cuts. And then they have plays behind the line of scrimmage, screens, hitches, etc. They make a lot of yardage with the ball when the receiver gets it in their hands. They’re excellent after the catch. Some of those guys are gone, but they also brought in some explosive players we’ve seen.
“They make you defend all the blades of grass on the field, the sideline to sideline, the line of scrimmage to 50 yards down the field. So you’ve got a lot to defend, and they do a good job attacking all of it, and where you’re light, that’s where they want to throw, and where you’re heavy, they go somewhere else,” Belichick elaborated. “So they’re a tough offense to match up against. Coach (Kendal) Briles and Coach Dykes, do a good job of putting stress on the defense, and this is one of those games where defensively, everybody will have to really do a good job with their responsibility.”
This offense's driver is Josh Hoover. The junior quarterback was not all that impressive in 2023, but had a breakout season last year. He had 3,949 passing yards and 27 touchdowns last season with only 11 interceptions on a 66.5% completion percentage. This offense only got better in the offseason with the playmakers around him, but Hoover should be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12.
This game has the makings of fireworks, and it comes down to what Bill Belichick can do as a defensive mastermind to stop this offense.
