The start of the Bill Belichick era at North Carolina has brought a wave of anticipation. He arrives with a resume stacked with Super Bowl titles, but there is uncertainty about whether he can achieve similar success at the college level with a younger, less experienced roster.Meanwhile, Belichick’s 2025 Tar Heels squad features a huge number of new players due to key departures in 2024 and an aggressive approach in the transfer portal this offseason.In his podcast on Tuesday, Colin Cowherd, joined by college football analyst Joel Klatt, shared his thoughts on the situation."The whole thing's weird," Cowherd said about UNC. "I'm kind of fascinated by it. They've really used the portal a lot. I don't love that."UNC’s standing took a hit in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, where the team received zero votes.However, Cowherd remains optimistic about Belichick’s potential in Chapel Hill."I think he is a much better coach than 99% of the coaches in college," Cowherd said. "I think if they get decent quarterback play, I looked at their schedule. If they just keep turnovers low, they should coach to nine wins. I'm actually more bullish on North Carolina and Bill Belichick than most because of that."Bill Belichick earns high praise from UNC CB Marcus AllenCornerback Marcus Allen is preparing for his final season of college football, and with a reshaped roster around him, he is poised to take on a leadership role.Meanwhile, the presence of Bill Belichick has given a renewed sense of confidence in Allen, who believes this year has the potential to be something special.“When Coach Belichick came in here, I was just already gonna think it’s about to be a whole different change," Allen said on Aug. 2 via The Fayetteville Observer. “I think it’s good that we’re being really physical in practice, so we can take the physicality from practice and bring it to the game."Ultimately, football is about who wants it more. Who’s gonna go out there and lay it down on the other team? The physical practices that we’re having now, the more tackling, I think it’s gonna be really beneficial for us.”Bill Belichick's squad will open its 2025 season against TCU on Sept. 1.