2025 Clemson Schedule Series: North Carolina |
Grayson Mann
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- Sunday, February 02 2025
Following the first open date of the season, Clemson will gear up for a two-game road trip to begin October.
The first trip will hold plenty of national intrigue, considering that Dabo Swinney and Bill Belichick will clash for the first time. At Swinney’s ACC Championship press conference, he was asked about the rumor that the former Patriots head coach was taking over the operation in North Carolina. He didn’t really have an answer, but his laughter to at the time, what seemed to be a ridiculous rumor, slowly became a shocking reality weeks later. After running one of the most prolific dynasties in sports history, Belichick will look to put North Carolina Football on the map, and plenty of national attention will be directing their focus on the product in Chapel Hill. Before diving into what Belichick has done in his short time as the head coach, we first must dive into a less-than-stellar 2024 season that was a domino effect to bringing him on board. 2024 Results: (6-7, 3-5 ACC) Mack Brown’s final season at North Carolina wasn’t exactly what Tar Heel fans hoped for. Following an 8-5 record in 2023, and losing several key players to the NFL Draft, including Drake Maye, it was an offense built around Omarion Hampton. That offense was incredibly successful, with Hampton putting together over 2,000 yards from scrimmage and leading the conference in rushing yards and attempts. The Tar Heels' offense was centered around their talented back, but the parts around him left much to be desired. The Tar Heels starting quarterback, Max Johnson, got the season in Minnesota off to the right start, running in for the only touchdown of the evening for UNC’s offense. Little did anyone know at the time, but that was the only score Johnson recorded all season, as he left the game in the third quarter, suffering a broken leg that required season-ending surgery. Despite opening the season with a win, North Carolina had to change gears to another quarterback, throwing Jacolby Criswell into the mix. Criswell played 12 games in 2024, completing under 60 percent of his throws, tossing 15 touchdowns to six interceptions. Inconsistency under center was the least of the Tar Heels’ worries. Five of North Carolina’s seven losses are fairly shouldered on the defensive side, with that side of the ball surrendering 30 points or more in those efforts. One of the more stunning results was when James Madison dropped 70 points in a win on the road in Chapel Hill. The 50 points from the Tar Heel offense was not nearly enough to catch up with that production, setting an ugly tone for that side of the ball. North Carolina also surrendered 40-point performances to Boston College and Georgia Tech as the season progressed, making it difficult for a relatively productive offense to stack wins. That gets us to why Belichick is here, whose defensive background may be able to solve the woes of the Tar Heel defense in 2025. In the short time that Belichick has been on campus, what has he and the staff done to right the wrongs of 2024? 2025 Recruiting Class Overall Rank: 58th Top Signee: Four-star QB Bryce Baker (Kernersville, NC) North Carolina has 10 prospects signed to their 2025 roster, with nine additional players committed since Belichick has taken the job. Belichick’s top signee comes with Baker, who was introduced alongside the former six-time Super Bowl Champion at a North Carolina basketball game. Baker is considered one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 class and will have an immediate opportunity to take the reigns of the offense. 2025 Transfer Class Overall Rank: 18th Top Commitments: OT Daniel King (Troy), DB Thaddeus Dixon (Washington) Belichick’s staff hasn’t wasted any time on building North Carolina’s roster through the transfer portal. With a smaller recruiting class and plenty of holes to fill, this active pursuit made sense. Eight of the 18 prospects on UNC’s board are on the defensive side, with much of it dedicated to the secondary and pass rush. Given the number of times the Tar Heels were dragged across the field, bringing in immediate contributors that could quickly change was priority No. 1 for this group. Another area of focus was upfront, bringing in five offensive linemen through the portal. Belichick’s first acquisition as the leading man brought in Christo Kelly from Holy Cross, and four others have followed suit to rebuild the trenches on the offensive side. Belichick’s tenure at North Carolina might garner similar attention that Deion Sanders held when a prominent name took a Power Four conference job at Colorado, wondering how the experiment would progress. The experiment with Belichick will either mark an ugly end to an illustrious career or be a surprisingly successful encore to close his coaching days. Regardless, Clemson will be his first conference test, and a matchup between him and Swinney will be fascinating to dive into as we get closer to October.2025 Clemson Schedule Series: North Carolina
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