2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football
2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Head coach	Bill Belichick (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Freddie Kitchens (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Stephen Belichick (1st season)
Home stadium	Kenan Stadium
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Boston College	0	–	0	0	–	0
California	0	–	0	0	–	0
Clemson	0	–	0	0	–	0
Duke	0	–	0	0	–	0
Florida State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Georgia Tech	0	–	0	0	–	0
Louisville	0	–	0	0	–	0
Miami (FL)	0	–	0	0	–	0
North Carolina	0	–	0	0	–	0
NC State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Pittsburgh	0	–	0	0	–	0
SMU	0	–	0	0	–	0
Stanford	0	–	0	0	–	0
Syracuse	0	–	0	0	–	0
Virginia	0	–	0	0	–	0
Virginia Tech	0	–	0	0	–	0
Wake Forest	0	–	0	0	–	0
Championship: December 6, 2025
As of May 14, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team will represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tar Heels will be led by first-year head coach Bill Belichick. The team will play their home games at Kenan Stadium.

Following the firing of head coach Mack Brown after six seasons in charge,^[1] assistant Freddie Kitchens was elevated to interim head coach.^[2]

On December 11, 2024, Bill Belichick, former head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots, was hired as the 35th head coach in North Carolina program history.^[3]

Offseason

Coaching changes

After the conclusion of the 2024 season, the following changes were made to the Tar Heel football staff for the 2025 season.

Name	Position	Reason	Replacement
Mack Brown	Head coach	Retired	Bill Belichick
Chip Lindsey	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	Hired by Michigan	Freddie Kitchens Matt Lombardi^[1]
Randy Clements	Offensive line coach	Hired by TCU	Will Friend
Lonnie Galloway	Assistant head coach/Pass Game coordinator/Wide receivers coach	Hired by Clemson	Garrick McGee^[2]
Larry Porter	Special Teams coordinator/Running backs coach	Hired by West Virginia	Mike Priefer Natrone Means
Geoff Collins	Defensive coordinator	Dismissed	Stephen Belichick
Charlton Warren	Assistant head coach/Defensive backs coach	Hired by NC State	Brian Belichick
Tommy Thigpen	Co-defensive coordinator/Inside Linebackers coach	Dismissed	Jamie Collins^[3]
Ted Monachino	Defensive line coach	Hired by Maryland	Bob Diaco
Jason Jones	Cornerbacks coach	Hired by Alabama	Armond Hawkins
Clyde Christensen	Offensive Analyst	Hired by Appalachian State	N/A

^ Matt Lombardi will receive title of Quarterbacks coach, Kitchens' title will be solely Offensive Coordinator.
^ McGee's title will be solely Wide receivers coach.
^ Collins's title will be solely Inside Linebackers coach.

Departures

NFL Draft

Transfers

Source: ^[4]^[5]

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	New school
Eli Sutton	73	OT	6'7.5"	285	Brentwood, TN	Junior	Austin Peay
Jordan Louie	34	RB	6'0"	205	Lawrenceville, GA	Freshman	Coffeyville CC
Conner Harrell	15	QB	6'1"	191	Alabaster, AL	Sophomore	Charlotte
Andrew Rosinski	65	OT	6'6"	265	Ball Ground, GA	Freshman	Georgia Tech
Zach Greenberg	63	IOL	6'4"	290	Livingston, NJ	Graduate	James Madison
Travis Shaw	4	DL	6'5.5"	355	Greensboro, NC	Junior	Texas
Howard Sampson	79	OT	6'8"	330	Humble, TX	Sophomore	Texas Tech
Noah Burnette	98	K	5'10"	175	Raleigh, NC	Graduate	Notre Dame
Jakiah Leftwich	75	OT	6'6"	302	Atlanta, GA	Junior	UCF
Garrett Jordan	43	LS	6'0"	225	Waxhaw, NC	Junior	«»
Malik McGowan	64	IOL	6'3"	330	Charlotte, NC	Senior	UNLV
Tyrane Stewart	9	CB	6'0"	180	Osyka, MS	Junior	«»
Michael Merdinger	17	QB	6'1.5"	195	Deerfield Beach, FL	Freshman	Liberty
Ashton Woods	25	LB	6'3"	205	Marietta, GA	Freshman	West Virginia
Caleb LaVallee	34	LB	6'1"	205	Mableton, GA	Freshman	Florida State
DeAndre Boykins	16	CB	5'11"	210	Concord, NC	Senior	Oklahoma State
Jacolby Criswell	12	QB	6'0"	220	Morrilton, AR	Graduate	East Tennessee State
Zion Ferguson	8	CB	6'0"	165	Gainesville, GA	Freshman	Pittsburgh
Beau Atkinson	12	EDGE	6'6"	240	Raleigh, NC	Junior	Ohio State
Cade Law	55	LB	6'1"	225	Kingston Springs, TN	Sophomore	Memphis
Malaki Hamrick	24	LB	6'4"	205	Shelby, NC	Sophomore	«»
Crews Law	44	LB	6'1"	217	Nashville, TN	Freshman	Memphis
Zach Rice	55	OT	6'5"	290	Lynchburg, VA	Sophomore	Syracuse
Lucas Osada	97	K	6'1"	190	Woodberry Forest, VA	Freshman	Illinois
Gavin Blackwell	2	WR	6'0"	185	Monroe, NC	Junior	Florida State
Jaffer Murphy	-	K	6'1"	183	Marion, IA	Senior	«»
Christian Hamilton	7	WR	5'11"	167	Harrisburg, NC	Freshman	West Virginia
DJ Mazzone	13	QB	6'1"	180	Bradenton, FL	Freshman	«»
Joel Starlings	94	DL	6'5"	310	Richmond, VA	Freshman	Maryland
Julien Randolph	80	TE	6'5"	210	Ashburn, VA	Freshman	Austin Peay
Adam Samaha	-	K	6'0"	170	Ann Arbor, MI	Junior	«»
Desmond Jackson	74	IOL	6'4"	285	Clemmons, NC	Freshman	Coastal Carolina
Blaine McClure	36	DB	6'1"	185	Greenwich, CT	Freshman	«»
Cyrus Rogers	84	WR	5'11"	185	Raleigh, NC	Junior	«»
Liam Boyd	37	K	6'1"	200	Asheville, NC	Sophomore	«»
CJ Murphy	47	LB	6'2"	240	Bryn Mawr, PA	Sophomore	«»
Grady Sherrill	85	WR	5'9"	180	Greensboro, NC	Sophomore	«»
Hudson Wilharm	19	QB	6'5"	195	Wilmington, NC	Freshman	«»
Andres Miyares Jr.	18	QB	6'1"	210	Miami, FL	Freshman	«»
Terry Nwabuisi-Ezeala	-	DL	6'2"	305	Rabun Gap, GA	Freshman	Vanderbilt
Hayes Galloway	77	IOL	6'4"	305	Concord, NC	Freshman	«»
Miles Gaddy	-	S	6'1"	175	Fuquay-Varina, NC	Sophomore	«»
Amare Campbell	17	LB	5'11"	225	Manassas, VA	Junior	«»
Michael Short	30	LB	6'3"	218	Charlotte, NC	Sophomore	Wake Forest
Michael Hall	27	WR	6'0.5"	180	Eden, NC	Sophomore	«»
Grant Mills	61	LS	5'11"	210	Mooresville, NC	Freshman	«»
Evan Haynes	-	WR	6'3"	185	Roswell, GA	Freshman	«»
Jariel Cobb	-	RB	5'10"	185	Reidsville, NC	Freshman	«»
Curtis Simpson	33	EDGE	6'3.5"	200	Kings Mountain, NC	Freshman	«»
Ryan Ward	16	TE	6'4"	230	Rutherford, NJ	Freshman	«»
Rodney Lora	92	DL	6'3"	295	Woodberry Forest, VA	Freshman	«»

«» Indicates player has not yet enrolled at a new school.

Additions

Incoming transfers

Source:^[4]^[5]

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	Previous school
Christo Kelly	-	IOL	6'4"	305	Wilmette, IL	Senior	Holy Cross
Melkart Abou Jaoude	-	DL	6'5"	260	Newton, NJ	Junior	Delaware
Connor Cox	-	TE	6'5	225	Jacksonville, FL	Sophomore	South Carolina
Adam Samaha	-	K	6'0"	170	Ann Arbor, MI	Sophomore	Michigan
C.J. Mims	-	DL	6'3"	288	Vanceboro, NC	Sophomore	East Carolina
Miles McVay	-	IOL	6'6"	373	East Saint Louis, IL	Freshman	Alabama
Chad Lindberg	-	IOL	6'6"	325	League City, TX	Senior	Rice
Aziah Johnson	-	WR	6'2"	175	Richmond, VA	Freshman	Michigan State
Khmori House	-	LB	6'2"	210	Bellflower, CA	Freshman	Washington
William Boone	-	OT	6'6"	340	Conyers, GA	Junior	Prairie View A&M
Gavin Gibson	-	CB	5'11"	175	Mooresville, NC	Junior	East Carolina
Pryce Yates	-	EDGE	6'3"	240	San Antonio, TX	Junior	UConn
Coleman Bryson	-	S	6'2"	190	Rabun Gap, GA	Junior	Minnesota
Jason Robinson	-	WR	5'10"	145	San Juan Capistrano, CA	Freshman	Washington
Peyton Waters	-	S	6'2"	170	Los Angeles, CA	Freshman	Washington
Thaddeus Dixon	-	CB	6'0"	205	Paramount, CA	Senior	Washington
Daniel King	-	OT	6'5"	270	Cairo, GA	Senior	Troy
Jaffer Murphy	-	K	6'1"	183	Marion, IA	Junior	Lake Erie
Smith Vilbert	-	EDGE	6'6"	282	Montvale, NJ	Senior	Penn State
Mikai Gbayor	-	LB	6'2"	230	Irvington, NJ	Senior	Missouri
Adrian Wilson	-	WR	6'1"	170	Pflugerville, TX	Freshman	Colorado
Jacob Horvath	-	P	6'1"	190	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Sophomore	Eastern Illinois
Rece Verhoff	-	K	5'11"	189	Columbus Grove, OH	Junior	Marshall
Gio Lopez	-	QB	5'11.5"	233	Madison, AL	Sophomore	South Alabama
Benjamin Hall	-	RB	5'11"	224	Kennesaw, GA	Sophomore	Michigan
Dayton Sneed	-	WR	6'0"	196	Hermitage, TN	Freshman	Tennessee
Jordan Hall	-	OT	6'8"	336	Columbus, OH	Freshman	UAB
Joseph Mupoyi	-	EDGE	6'5"	261	Oakdale, CT	Freshman	Penn State
D'antre Robinson	-	DL	6'3.5"	315	Orlando, FL	Freshman	Florida
Isaiah Johnson	-	DL	6'2"	275	Chandler, AZ	Sophomore	Arizona
Gannon Burt	-	LS	6'1"	205	Fort Mill, SC	Freshman	Florida
Will O'Steen	-	OT	6'3"	230	Anniston, AL	Junior	Jacksonville State
Jakai Moore	-	IOL	6'6"	318	Nokesville, VA	Senior	South Carolina
Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins	-	S	5'10.5"	185	Tustin, CA	Freshman	UCLA

Recruiting class

Source:^[6]

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Overall recruit ranking: Rivals: # 247Sports: # ESPN: #
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals commits". Rivals. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "ESPN commits". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "247Sports commits". 247Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

Personnel

Coaching staff

North Carolina Tar Heels coaches

Bill Belichick	Head coach	1st
Freddie Kitchens	Offensive coordinator	3rd
Will Friend	Offensive line coach	1st
Matt Lombardi	Quarterbacks coach	1st
Garrick McGee	Wide receivers coach	1st
Natrone Means	Running backs coach	5th
Caleb Pickrell	Offensive assistant	4th
Stephen Belichick	Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach	1st
Bob Diaco	Defensive line coach	1st
Brian Belichick	Defensive backs/safeties coach	1st
Armond Hawkins	Cornerbacks coach	1st
Jamie Collins	Inside linebackers coach	1st
Ty Nichols	Outside linebackers coach	1st
Mike Priefer	Special teams coordinator	1st
Billy Miller	Special teams assistant	1st
Brian Hess	Head strength and conditioning coach	7th
Brian Simmons	Senior advisor to head coach	2nd
Reference:^[7]

Roster

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV
September 1	8:00 p.m.	TCU*	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN
September 6		at Charlotte*	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC
September 13		Richmond*	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC
September 20		at UCF*	FBC Mortgage Stadium Orlando, FL
October 4		Clemson	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC
October 16/17		at California	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA
October 25		Virginia	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)
October 31		at Syracuse	JMA Wireless Dome Syracuse, NY
November 8		Stanford	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC
November 15		at Wake Forest	Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium Winston-Salem, NC (rivalry)
November 22		Duke	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)
November 29		at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)
*Non-conference game All times are in Eastern time Source: ^[8]

Game summaries

vs TCU

Pregame line	Over/under

TCU Horned Frogs (0–0) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Horned Frogs			0
Tar Heels			0

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Date: September 1
Game time: 8:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	TCU	UNC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
TCU	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Charlotte

Pregame line	Over/under

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) at Charlotte 49ers (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Tar Heels			0
49ers			0

at Jerry Richardson Stadium • Charlotte, North Carolina

Date: September 6

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNC	CHAR
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Charlotte	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Richmond

Pregame line	Over/under

Richmond Spiders (0–0) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Spiders			0
Tar Heels			0

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Date: September 13

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	RICH	UNC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Richmond	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at UCF

Pregame line	Over/under

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) at UCF Knights (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Tar Heels			0
Knights			0

at FBC Mortgage Stadium • Orlando, Florida

Date: September 20

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNC	UCF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
UCF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Myerberg, Paul (November 26, 2024). "Mack Brown out as North Carolina football coach during sixth season of second tenure at school". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^ Adelson, Andrea (December 1, 2024). "Freddie Kitchens named interim head coach at North Carolina". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^ Geagan, Matt (December 11, 2024). "Bill Belichick reaches deal to coach the North Carolina Tar Heels". CBS News. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "North Carolina 2025 Football Transfer Portal". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "North Carolina Football Transfer Portal". on3.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
^ "North Carolina 2025 Football Commits". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
^ "Football Coaches". University of North Carolina Athletics.
^ "2025 North Carolina Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.

[1] Myerberg, Paul (November 26, 2024). "Mack Brown out as North Carolina football coach during sixth season of second tenure at school". USA Today. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[2] Adelson, Andrea (December 1, 2024). "Freddie Kitchens named interim head coach at North Carolina". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[3] Geagan, Matt (December 11, 2024). "Bill Belichick reaches deal to coach the North Carolina Tar Heels". CBS News. Retrieved December 12, 2024.

[Transfers-4] "North Carolina 2025 Football Transfer Portal". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

[On3-5] "North Carolina Football Transfer Portal". on3.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

[6] "North Carolina 2025 Football Commits". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

[7] "Football Coaches". University of North Carolina Athletics.

[8] "2025 North Carolina Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.

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v t e North Carolina Tar Heels football
Venues	Emerson Field (1916–1926) Kenan Memorial Stadium/Kenan Stadium (1927–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Duke: Victory Bell NC State South Carolina Virginia: South's Oldest Rivalry Wake Forest
Culture & lore	First forward pass Rameses The Marching Tar Heels 2010 football scandal 2011 academic-athletic scandal
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
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