BOSTON – The full beginning of the Bill Belichick era has a Sunday, December 29 timeline attached to it, which is the day after North Carolina closed out its football season with a 27-14 loss to Connecticut in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park.
The score was much closer than what actually happened on the field. But as soon as UNC’s bus left for the airport to bring home the Tar Heels, Belichick Eve was upon everyone with an interest in Carolina football.
On the surface, it appears UNC has a chance to spring forward into national relevance. At least that’s the expectation by many given that Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, so he should be able to turn around the Tar Heels.
And in the shadow of their poor performance against the Huskies, the Heels were already looking forward to this new football frontier on which they are embarking.
"I think they're heading in the right direction, no matter what,” said senior tight end John Copenhaver, who won’t play for Belichick and has the benefit of speaking his mind. “I'm a big believer in what Coach (Freddie) Kitchens teaches and what he coaches, and he's definitely excited for Belichick to come in, and I am too for the program…
“So, definitely excited for the program. I think things can be pretty good."
Kitchens was Copenhaver’s tight ends coach the last two seasons and interim head coach for the bowl game. He will also be a part of Belichick’s staff. He took a more measured approach when asked where he sees the program heading.
"The only thing I would say about that is, we're gonna get up tomorrow and we're gonna go to work and try to make the program better, okay,” he said, asking rhetorically. “And the players are gonna do that, coaches are gonna do that, and so that's what I'd say to that.
“I'm not into making predictions as far as what the program is doing and all this kind of stuff. We're just gonna go to work tomorrow and try to make the program better from top to bottom tomorrow, and players will do the same thing. So, then we'll see where we're at the next time we kick the ball off."
The next time UNC will be involved in a kickoff is August 30 at home against TCU, a program that played for the national title a couple of years ago and finished 9-4 this season.
Belichick has only hired two on-field coaches so far. In addition to Kitchens, he hired his son, Steve, to serve as defensive coordinator, a post he held at Washington this season. Belichick said during his introductory press conference he wouldn’t rush putting together a staff as many coaches that he will likely hire could be coaching for a while this season, either in college or the NFL.
Ten players have been signed from the transfer portal and more are coming. And it’s the players, Kitchens says, that will make the difference, starting with the ones returning to Chapel Hill.
"I know it starts and ends with a bunch of people that love football, that love Carolina, and love Carolina football…,” he said. “There's a lot of people in the locker room right now that love Carolina, love football, and love each other. And that's where it starts and ends.
“As long as we keep surrounding ourselves with people like that, we'll turn the corner and we'll get there. But it all starts with the next day, and whatever you're doing at that moment, and then you look up next fall, and you're kicking the ball off again, and you see where you're at."
Maybe moments after a season-ending ugly loss isn’t the best time to find out where the program is heading. But then again, maybe it is.
Nobody knows for certain how Belichick will do.
