CHAPEL HILL – Although it’s almost mid-February and some college football programs will start spring practice in a couple of weeks, no dates have been announced yet by North Carolina.
And, according to general manager Michael Lombardi, the program hasn’t solidified when it will hold its 15 practices, either.
Lombardi met with the media Tuesday for the first time since being hired by first-year coach Bill Belichick in December and was asked about the Tar Heels’ plans for the spring.
"We've kind of looked at a spring schedule,” Lombardi said. “A lot of it's going to be determined on recruiting. We'll eventually make an announcement on the spring, what we're going to do spring-wise, but a lot of it will be tied to we want players to come visit our campus when we're practicing, because I think we have a unique way of practicing.
“And of course, they can watch a coaching staff that's filled with a lot of pro coaches but also watch a guy who's won eight Super Bowls coach a team around them.
High school football players can attend and watch college spring practices between March 3 and April 14, and with Saturdays in April falling on the 5th, 12th, and 19th, it’s likely UNC will conclude workouts in that window. And if there is either a spring game or spring team event for fans, and recruits attending are determined by the staff as necessary, April 12 is a probable target date because it fits within the visit window.
Part of ironing out dates is more for when specific prospects can watch practice. Lombardi, as UNC’s first GM, has 30 staff members working under him. This is an entirely new operation for the program. Its main mission is player evaluation, so Lombardi and his staff are grinding each day deciding what prospects they can welcome when.
Much goes into this.
“My day is spent really on player evaluation,” he said. “Right now we're building, I call it a draft board, because my brain is locked that way. But building a board so that we can identify who we want to, who we want to sign, who we want to go after, and then a lot of it is too is we have to get everybody in unison.
“You're dealing with a lot of players, a lot of names, and who's contacting the players.”
And with the NCAA allowing football programs to go from 85 scholarships to 105 for the coming season, and UNC expected to hit that mark or come close, the additional prospect evaluation and contacting is a heavier load than previously.
In addition, Lombardi and his staff and still learning the ropes, especially Lombardi, who hasn’t been in the college game in four decades. He’s worked for Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick, who have combined to win nine Super Bowls, but the rules and regulations in college are vastly different from the NFL, so he’s continuing to self-fortify in that department.
"I think the other part of this, or this university that's been remarkable is because you're talking to somebody who's never been in college football since 1981,” Lombardi said. “So, compliance has been incredibly valuable to me because I am a walking disaster if I don't have compliance.
“So, they've been very helpful, and they've been very good at telling me what we can and can't do, because we're not going to violate any rules, but we got to know what they are. So, my day is pretty much spent like it was in the NFL. Get here early, watch tape, study players, write reports."
In time, added to his job will be laying out 15 spring practice dates with prospect visits likely accompany each workout.
