bill belichick: It's boom or bust - Joel Klatt casts doubt on UNC's success under Bill Belichick after controversy-filled off-season

For college football insider Joel Klatt, Bill Belichick's impact in season one as the North Carolina head coach is still a question mark.

While giving his predictions for the upcoming college football season on Friday's "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd, Klatt mentioned it's impossible to predict how the season will go at Chapel Hill.

"I have no idea," Klatt said. "I think it's a huge question. It's boom or bust when you go into the transfer portal that heavy. We've seen teams succeed like Indiana, and we've seen teams fail like Florida State."

"Trying to predict what's going to happen with Bill Belichick and North Carolina is a fool's errand. They could be an eight-win team, they could be a two-win team. I have no idea what to expect from the Tar Heels."

One of the issues Klatt mentioned is that there are several changes. As it often happens when there is a coaching change in college football, the North Carolina Tar Heels have an important roster turnover, with 23 players leaving .

The Tar Heels are losing over 50% of their production from last season due to eligibility or transfer portal departures.

Belichick's noisy offseason might not help matters either. The coach's relationship with girlfriend Jordon Hudson has attracted more media attention than expected before the season.

The former New England Patriots head coach is taking over for Mack Brown, who coached North Carolina from 2019 until last season, leading the school to the postseason each year.

The Tar Heels are coming off a 6-7 record and a loss to the UConn Huskies at the Fenway Bowl.

Bill Belichick and UNC get bad news on the recruiting front

While Bill Belichick is looking to build a competitive roster for his first season in Chapel Hill, he is also trying to find talent for the future in recruiting.

However, the coach and the program took a hit on Saturday, when 4-star wide receiver O'Mari Johnson decommitted from the Tar Heels and reopened his recruitment.

The wide receiver from Jackson Academy in Wesson, Mississippi, is the No. 71 wide receiver in the class of 2026, according to 247 Sports.

North Carolina is currently ranked No. 20 in recruiting with 13 hard commits, led by 4-star defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin. Bill Belichick promised to establish an NFL program in college football, so finding the right talent is the first step towards that goal.

About the author

Allan Wolburg Robles is a College Sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over 17 years of experience in the field writing for publications including Reforma, Yahoo! OddsShark and Apuesta. Allan studied Communications at Anáhuac University, where he learned what would become the basis of a trade that was already a dream of his before starting college.

His favorite team is Army West Point as when he was young, Allan lived in West Point for a couple of years, went to pretty much every home game, a couple of Army-Navy games and even got to meet some of the players.

Allan's favorite players of all time include Tommie Frazier, who was unbelievable during the Nebraska dynasty of the early 90's. Tim Tebow was also a favorite, mainly because of his leadership skills, although he was also awesome on the football field. As a fan of defensive football, (or what's left of it), Sean Taylor could take over a game for Miami.

Allan has always considered himself a student of the game more than a fan of it. So the historical part and evolution of the game, as well as the ins and outs of what happens on the field, and being able to put it into words for the audience, are his biggest strengths.

Besides sports, Allan enjoys reading books, watching movies and spending time with his dogs.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec