Bill Belichick's first campaign in charge of the North Carolina Tar Heels was on the verge of complete collapse. Then, two late-season wins against the Syracuse Orange and Stanford Cardinal in consecutive weeks arguably saved "Chapel Bill" from being a one-and-done disaster.
In 2026, Belichick may be in better shape. Replacing Gadsden native and University of Alabama alum Freddie Kitchens with infamous former Arkansas Razorbacks head coach and one-year Tommy Tuberville-era offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino may be the winning formula in Chapel Hill. Well, at least winning more than two conference games against two of the bottom six teams in a 17-team conference.
He may also be a sign of the grim reaper arriving for Belichick's UNC tenure, though either way, the Heels' offense should improve.
"Hiring Bobby Petrino as your offensive coordinator in the 2020s has basically meant two things: Your offense will improve, and you will be out of a job soon. That's how it played out for Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M and Sam Pittman at Arkansas, at least. UNC plummeted to 124th last year with Freddie Kitchens calling plays for Bill Belichick; Petrino will almost certainly improve off of that," ESPN's Bill Connelly wrote.
Petrino will likely have Western Carolina Catamounts quarterback transfer Taron Dickens, who threw 38 touchdowns and was a Walter Payton Award finalist in the FCS's SoCon during the 2025 season, as his primary weapon this fall. Returning upperclassman receiver Jordan Shipp and freshman tight end Carson Sneed should be Dickens' top weapons.
READ MORE: Former Auburn football coach predicted to restore fallen ACC powerhouse in 2026
Why did Bobby Petrino leave Auburn?
Petrino used Auburn as a springboard to land the Louisville Cardinals' head coaching job after a successful 2002 season on the Plains. The Tigers went 8-4 and knocked off the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2003 Capital One Bowl.
Of course, in late 2003, days ahead of that year's Iron Bowl, he was part of the infamous "JetGate" scandal when Petrino met with AU officials about replacing his former boss, Tuberville.
Tuberville, now uncoincidentally in politics, learned not to hold a grudge with Petrino or Auburn after the backstabbing attempt.