After a distraction-filled 4-8 debut, Year 2 begins with more of the same. Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
Thumbing through the rack, you stumble upon it: a remnant of hope from the start of the Bill Belichick era, which a year later is still vying to take flight.
A gray hoodie marked down to $34.99, bearing a tagline in Carolina blue lettering that hasn’t caught on as planned: CHAPEL BILL.
“Been back there a while now,” the cashier hollers from behind the register.
As North Carolina kicks off the 2026 football season Saturday against TCU in Dublin, the tidal wave of momentum and interest in the six-time Super Bowl champion’s first college football gig has disappeared. Considering UNC’s unprecedented investment in Belichick — including his $10 million annual salary, plus lucrative guarantees for staff and roster spending — there’s pressure not only to see on-field improvement, but to regain some of the buzz that first surrounded his hiring.
