UNC football coach Bill Belichick caps spring session with ‘Practice Like A Pro’ day
They opened up Kenan Stadium for North Carolina’s final spring football practice Saturday, allowing UNC fans a two-hour glimpse of Bill Belichick’s first team as head coach for the Tar Heels.
It took an active imagination for many fans. The players did not have jersey numbers, in keeping with Belichick’s wishes, leaving many to guess who threw that flea-flicker pass and who made that nice one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone and which offensive lineman stepped on the quarterback’s foot one time and caused a sack.
Belichick, dressed warmly, a whistle in his right hand, moved about the Kenan field, which again has a grass surface — another of Belichick’s wishes.
“Practice Like A Pro” was the expressed theme for Saturday’s spring finale. Belichick, who guided the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl titles, is determined to run and operate the UNC program much like an NFL franchise — the “33rd team,” some at UNC call it.
Belichick, at one point Saturday, was shown on the big board with the words “Be A Pro” with the prerequisites of “Tough. Smart. Dependable.”
The players and coaches have gone about their spring business quietly. There was one news conference with Belichick before spring drills began. There have been no player interviews with the media; nor were there any Saturday.
Rick Steinbacher, senior associate athletic director and a former UNC player, was heard over the stadium loudspeakers explaining the drills, with some football instructional thrown in.
“This team period is working on first-, second- and third-down situations, testing the rhythm, the play-calling and the execution under pressure,” Steinbacher said before some offense vs. defense drills. “Every rep counts, and both sides are out there to prove something.”
Some of the music being piped into the stadium had an old-school feel to it — Springsteen, Kiss, Van Halen. But there also was some J. Cole and Lil Wayne, which seemed appropriate after Lil Wayne dropped by UNC practice last week while in the Triangle for Dreamville.
While offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens handled his guys on the field, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick walked the sideline, walkie-talkie in one hand when he wasn’t jotting down notes. Steve Belichick’s younger brother, Brian, coaches the defensive backs.
The Tar Heels finished 6-7 last season in Mack Brown’s final campaign as coach, losing to UConn in the Fenway Bowl in Boston, and several players hit the transfer portal, including quarterbacks Jacolby Criswell (now at East Tennessee State) and Conner Harrell (Charlotte).
The Heels are taking a look at quarterback Ryan Browne, a transfer from Purdue, along with freshman Bryce Baker from East Forsyth High, Belichick’s first recruit. Max Johnson continues to work his way back from a broken leg suffered in the Heels’ first game last season, and others on the roster are D.J. Mazzone and Andres Miyares, Jr.
The flea-flicker completion — some guessed it was Browne at QB — drew applause from some of an estimated 1,000 or so fans who came to watch. There some nice runs and hustling defensive plays. During special teams work, there was a well-executed onside kick.
The players were available for an autograph-signing session after the practice, exchanging a few words with the fans.
While spring practice has ended, the UNC staff must now prepare for the spring opening of the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday. The portal will remain open until April 25.
UNC had the No. 12 portal class in the winter, according to the CBS Sports rankings, and Belichick’s staff is expected to be aggressive in the portal the next few weeks.
Belichick’s first college season begins with a Sept. 1 game at Kenan against Texas Christian, when there will be numbers on the jerseys and every play will count.
This story was originally published April 12, 2025 at 9:37 PM.
