2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football
2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	4–8 (2–6 ACC)
Head coach	Bill Belichick (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Freddie Kitchens (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Stephen Belichick (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–2–5
Home stadium	Kenan Stadium
	Seasons ← 2024 2026 →

The 2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented 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 were led by first-year head coach Bill Belichick. The team plays their home games at Kenan Stadium.

ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference

Record4–8 (2–6 ACC)

Headcoach

Bill Belichick (1st season)

OffensivecoordinatorFreddie Kitchens (1st season)

Quick facts North Carolina Tar Heels football, Conference ...

Close

More information Conf., Overall ...

2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 16 Virginia y	7	–	1	11	–	3
Duke y$	6	–	2	9	–	5
No. 2 Miami (FL) ^	6	–	2	13	–	3
Georgia Tech	6	–	2	9	–	4
SMU	6	–	2	9	–	4
Pittsburgh	6	–	2	8	–	5
Louisville	4	–	4	9	–	4
Wake Forest	4	–	4	9	–	4
NC State	4	–	4	8	–	5
California	4	–	4	7	–	6
Clemson	4	–	4	7	–	6
Stanford	3	–	5	4	–	8
Florida State	2	–	6	5	–	7
Virginia Tech	2	–	6	3	–	9
North Carolina	2	–	6	4	–	8
Boston College	1	–	7	2	–	10
Syracuse	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Duke 27, Virginia 20^OT
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of May 5, 2026 Rankings from AP Poll

Close

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]

The North Carolina Tar Heels drew an average home attendance of 50,500, the 43rd-highest of all college football teams.^[4]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

Name	Position	Reason	Replacement
Mack Brown	Head coach	Dismissed	Bill Belichick
Chip Lindsey	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	Hired by Michigan	Freddie Kitchens Matt Lombardi
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
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
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

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	North Texas
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	UTSA
Christian Hamilton	7	WR	5'11"	167	Harrisburg, NC	Freshman	West Virginia
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	Akron
Desmond Jackson	74	IOL	6'4"	285	Clemmons, NC	Freshman	Coastal Carolina
Blaine McClure	36	DB	6'1"	185	Greenwich, CT	Freshman	Vanderbilt
Cyrus Rogers	84	WR	5'11"	185	Raleigh, NC	Junior	«»
Liam Boyd	37	K	6'1"	200	Asheville, NC	Sophomore	Charlotte
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	NC State
Terry Nwabuisi-Ezeala	-	DL	6'2"	305	Rabun Gap, GA	Freshman	Vanderbilt
Hayes Galloway	77	IOL	6'4"	305	Concord, NC	Freshman	Clemson
Miles Gaddy	-	S	6'1"	175	Fuquay-Varina, NC	Sophomore	East Carolina
Amare Campbell	17	LB	5'11"	225	Manassas, VA	Junior	Penn State
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	Ohio State
Evan Haynes	-	WR	6'3"	185	Roswell, GA	Freshman	Georgia Tech
Jariel Cobb	-	RB	5'10"	185	Reidsville, NC	Freshman	Charlotte
Curtis Simpson	33	EDGE	6'3.5"	200	Kings Mountain, NC	Freshman	Charlotte
Ryan Ward	16	TE	6'4"	230	Rutherford, NJ	Freshman	West Virginia
Rodney Lora	92	DL	6'3"	295	Woodberry Forest, VA	Freshman	UCF

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	Previous school
Christo Kelly	53	IOL	6'4"	305	Wilmette, IL	Senior	Holy Cross
Melkart Abou Jaoude	9	DL	6'5"	260	Newton, NJ	Junior	Delaware
Connor Cox	81	TE	6'5	225	Jacksonville, FL	Sophomore	South Carolina
C.J. Mims	92	DL	6'3"	288	Vanceboro, NC	Sophomore	East Carolina
Miles McVay	54	IOL	6'6"	373	East Saint Louis, IL	Freshman	Alabama
Chad Lindberg	69	IOL	6'6"	325	League City, TX	Senior	Rice
Aziah Johnson‡	81	WR	6'2"	175	Richmond, VA	Freshman	Michigan State
Khmori House	7	LB	6'2"	210	Bellflower, CA	Freshman	Washington
William Boone‡	71	OT	6'6"	340	Conyers, GA	Junior	Prairie View A&M
Gavin Gibson	5	CB	5'11"	175	Mooresville, NC	Junior	East Carolina
Pryce Yates‡	10	EDGE	6'3"	240	San Antonio, TX	Junior	UConn
Coleman Bryson	16	S	6'2"	190	Rabun Gap, GA	Junior	Minnesota
Jason Robinson	5	WR	5'10"	145	San Juan Capistrano, CA	Freshman	Washington
Peyton Waters	17	S	6'2"	170	Los Angeles, CA	Freshman	Washington
Thaddeus Dixon	1	CB	6'0"	205	Paramount, CA	Senior	Washington
Daniel King	52	OT	6'5"	270	Cairo, GA	Senior	Troy
Smith Vilbert	8	EDGE	6'6"	282	Montvale, NJ	Senior	Penn State
Mikai Gbayor	4	LB	6'2"	230	Irvington, NJ	Senior	Missouri
Adrian Wilson	17	WR	6'1"	170	Pflugerville, TX	Freshman	Colorado
Jacob Horvath	93	P	6'1"	190	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Sophomore	Eastern Illinois
Rece Verhoff	90	K	5'11"	189	Columbus Grove, OH	Junior	Marshall
Gio Lopez	7	QB	5'11.5"	233	Madison, AL	Sophomore	South Alabama
Benjamin Hall	28	RB	5'11"	224	Kennesaw, GA	Sophomore	Michigan
Dayton Sneed	6	WR	6'0"	196	Hermitage, TN	Freshman	Tennessee
Jordan Hall	66	OT	6'8"	336	Columbus, OH	Freshman	UAB
Joseph Mupoyi	25	EDGE	6'5"	261	Oakdale, CT	Freshman	Penn State
D'antre Robinson	6	DL	6'3.5"	315	Orlando, FL	Freshman	Florida
Isaiah Johnson	94	DL	6'2"	275	Chandler, AZ	Sophomore	Arizona
Gannon Burt	48	LS	6'1"	205	Fort Mill, SC	Freshman	Florida
Will O'Steen	73	OT	6'3"	230	Anniston, AL	Junior	Jacksonville State
Jakai Moore	55	IOL	6'6"	318	Nokesville, VA	Senior	South Carolina
Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins	23	S	5'10.5"	185	Tustin, CA	Freshman	UCLA

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.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "247Sports commits". 247Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

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	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:^[8]

2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

Offseason

Coaching changes

Departures

NFL draft

Transfers

Additions

Incoming transfers

Recruiting class

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Schedule

Game summaries

vs TCU

at Charlotte

vs Richmond (FCS)

at UCF

vs Clemson

at California

vs No. 16 Virginia (South's Oldest Rivalry)

at Syracuse

vs Stanford

at Wake Forest (rivalry)

vs Duke (Victory Bell)

at NC State (rivalry)

References

Related Articles

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	8:00 p.m.	TCU*	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	L 14–48	50,500
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at Charlotte*	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN+	W 20–3	19,233
September 13	3:30 p.m.	Richmond*	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ACCN	W 41–6	50,500
September 20	3:30 p.m.	at UCF*	Acrisure Bounce House Orlando, FL	FOX	L 9–34	44,206
October 4	12:00 p.m.	Clemson	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	L 10–38	50,500
October 17	10:30 p.m.	at California	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ESPN	L 18–21	33,401
October 25	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Virginia	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	ACCN	L 16–17 ^OT	50,500
October 31	7:30 p.m.	at Syracuse	JMA Wireless Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN	W 27–10	37,184
November 8	4:30 p.m.	Stanford	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	The CW	W 20–15	50,500
November 15	4:30 p.m.	at Wake Forest	Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium Winston-Salem, NC (rivalry)	The CW	L 12–28	32,390
November 22	3:30 p.m.	Duke	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)	ACCN	L 25–32	50,500
November 29	7:30 p.m.	at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)	ACCN	L 19–42	56,919
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time Source: ^[9]

Statistics	TCU	UNC
First downs	29	10
Plays–yards	72–542	49–222
Rushes–yards	35–258	28–50
Passing yards	284	172
Passing: comp–att–int	27-37-1	13-21-1
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	32:09	27:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
TCU	Passing	Josh Hoover	27/36, 284 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kevorian Barnes	11 carries, 113 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Dwyer	9 receptions, 136 yards, TD
North Carolina	Passing	Max Johnson	9/11, 103 yards, TD
	Rushing	Caleb Hood	10 carries, 31 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	4 receptions, 84 yards

Statistics	UNC	CLT
First downs	15	21
Plays–yards	58–303	71–271
Rushes–yards	33–148	29–21
Passing yards	155	250
Passing: comp–att–int	17–25–0	25–42–2
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	29:38	30:22

Statistics	RICH	UNC
First downs	15	16
Plays–yards	63–199	50–312
Rushes–yards	48–124	31–193
Passing yards	75	119
Passing: comp–att–int	9–15–1	10–19–1
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	37:59	22:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Richmond	Passing	Kyle Wickersham	6/8, 47 yards
	Rushing	Aziz Foster-Powell	12 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Dawson	2 receptions, 37 yards
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	10/18, 119 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Demon June	14 carries, 148 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	4 receptions, 52 yards, 2 TD

Statistics	UNC	UCF
First downs	14	23
Plays–yards	58–217	66–366
Rushes–yards	25–63	34–143
Passing yards	154	223
Passing: comp–att–int	22–32–2	25–32–0
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	26:13	33:47

Statistics	CLEM	UNC
First downs	23	19
Plays–yards	70–488	60–270
Rushes–yards	31–89	18–57
Passing yards	399	213
Passing: comp–att–int	30–39–0	26–42–0
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	32:25	27:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clemson	Passing	Cade Klubnik	22/24, 254 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Adam Randall	8 carries, 30 yards
	Receiving	T. J. Moore	5 receptions, 108 yards, TD
North Carolina	Passing	Max Johnson	26/42, 213 yards
	Rushing	Benjamin Hall	5 carries, 24 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	5 receptions, 41 yards

Statistics	UNC	CAL
First downs	18	19
Plays–yards	64–287	71–294
Rushes–yards	29–120	31–80
Passing yards	167	214
Passing: comp–att–int	19–35–0	22–40–0
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	31:10	25:50

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs	7	13	21	7	48
Tar Heels	7	0	7	0	14

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	10	7	0	3	20
49ers	0	3	0	0	3

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Spiders (FCS)	0	3	0	3	6
Tar Heels	10	10	7	14	41

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	0	3	6	0	9
Knights	10	10	7	7	34

Statistics	UVA	UNC
First downs	16	20
Plays–yards	69–259	75–353
Rushes–yards	34–59	39–145
Passing yards	200	208
Passing: comp–att–int	20–35–1	23–36–2
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	24:27	32:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Virginia	Passing	Chandler Morris	20/35, 200 yards, TD, INT
	Rushing	J'Mari Taylor	21 carries, 69 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jahmal Edrine	6 catches, 75 yards
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	23/36, 208 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Benjamin Hall	11 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	7 catches, 67 yards