Regrouping done, Bill Belichick, Gio Lopez ready for UNC football to battle UCF

How does Bill Belichick decompress – if he does at all – during the intensity of a college football season?

“I mean, at some point you just kind of got to meditate a little bit,” he said Tuesday at his midweek press conference. “Or just, you know, relax and try to regroup and go hard.”

Belichick compared coaching to a treadmill you can’t get off. The constant grind of preparing for the next opponent never slows down. If anything, it “kind of speeds up a little bit” — especially this week, as UNC prepares to take on UCF this Saturday in Orlando.

For Belichick and North Carolina starting quarterback Gio Lopez, the last two opponents offered a chance to regroup. Saturday offers redemption.

Multiple players spoke about the sting of the season-opening 48-14 loss to TCU earlier this week, specifically the idea of being embarrassed on national television. That’s especially true for Lopez.

The last time Lopez faced a Power 4 opponent, he went missing. Against TCU, he didn’t complete a pass for two hours of real time. The ESPN broadcast showed a graphic with his last reported pass — at 8:12 pm EST — during the game to drive home that point.

But as North Carolina has reset since then, so has Lopez. On Tuesday, Belichick spoke about his growing relationship with the signal-caller and the “one-on-one proposition” of working with quarterbacks. The key, he said, is not to overwhelm a young player like Lopez.

“I don’t think you want to overload them,” Belichick said. “I think you want to find something that they can tangibly grab a hold of and say, ‘OK, that makes sense. That helps me.’”

Every quarterback is different, said Belichick, and he tailors his teaching methods to each one. Tom Brady didn’t run a lot, for instance, so Belichick prioritized helping him understand coverages, weak spots of the defense and playing situational football.

Belichick said he’s gone over a lot of situational football with Lopez, as well.

“That’s the idea is to get the situations handled right, and then, the fundamentals of playing the position that are most important to me… things like ball security, communication in the huddle and things like that,” Belichick said. “Not groundbreaking news, but the things that are most important on the quarterback’s checklist. If you do those things wrong, then chances of being a good player are pretty low.”

Belichick said he’s seen signs of Lopez’s improved confidence lately. As a coach, there’s a specific tell: how quickly and decisively a quarterback gets the ball out.

“I think a couple of Gio’s throws to Jake [Johnson] came out real quick, they got there just in time,” Belichick said, reflecting on the 41-6 win over Richmond. “Jake was able to squirt forward for a first down a couple of times. Things like that, if you just hesitate another split second, maybe [Johnson] makes a catch, maybe doesn’t get that extra two yards for the first down… there’s a difference between anticipating the receiver being open and then seeing him open.”

Still, beneath the incremental progress lies an undercurrent of concern. Lopez, through three games, has yet to find a steady rhythm. The South Alabama transfer showed flashes against Richmond and Charlotte, but both performances were far from flawless.

There are only 10 quarterbacks in FBS (minimum 20 action plays per game) with lower QB ratings than Lopez, per ESPN. Pro Football Focus ranks Lopez 161st in its NCAA QB position grades. North Carolina has 41 first downs on the season and is 12-for-36 on third down conversions — ranking sub-100 nationally in both categories.

Other notables from Belichick on Tuesday:

Belichick, Frost have history

UCF coach Scott Frost and Belichick go back almost 30 years — a length of time Belichick could hardly believe as he reflected Tuesday.

Belichick picked up Frost — then a college quarterback at Nebraska — in the third round of the NFL Draft and converted him to a safety with the New York Jets, where Belichick served as defensive coordinator in the late 1990s.

“For those players that have flipped from one side of the ball to the other, having that experience — especially as a defensive back having played quarterback — is a big, big advantage,” Belichick said. “Scott was a hard-working guy. He was smart, and, again, was very versatile as a football player, to be able to play in all three phases of the game. You don’t see that very often these days, where guys can legitimately line up in all three positions.”

Belichick wishes Shawn Clark well

Belichick took a moment at the beginning of his press conference Tuesday to offer “thoughts and prayers” to UCF offensive line coach Shawn Clark.

Clark, the former head coach at Appalachian State, has been hospitalized and away from the Knights this week following a medical emergency suffered the week prior.

“He’s a person that’s well-respected around here — as he should be,” Belichick said. “I’ve dealt with those types of situations during the season on staff before. [It’s] very, very difficult for everyone — players and coaching staff. So thoughts to Coach Frost, his staff and team there. They’re going through a lot.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 6:52 PM.