North Carolina GM Michael Lombardi admits uncertainty entering Week 1: 'I don't know who we are'

Nobody knows what to expect from head coach Bill Belichick and North Carolina in their Week 1 showdown against TCU, including people within the program. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi opened up on his expectations for the Tar Heels’ season-opener.

“It’s really hard for me. I don’t know who we are,” Lombardi said. “I know who we are, in terms of us against us. But that’s the hard part. When you have training camp and you practice 10 days [in the NFL], and then you have those preseason games, you get an idea. You’re able to judge your team a little bit. You have what you have.

“This is really foreign to me, not having any practices against some other team. What does the speed of the game going to look like? We’re playing a TCU team that won six of its last seven games. They’re very effective.”

In fairness to Lombardi, North Carolina is essentially starting from scratch this season. The team is only returning four starters on offense from last season, and will have transfer quarterback Gio Lopez leading the offense.

Lopez transferred to UNC this offseason after spending two years at South Alabama. In the 2024 campaign, Lopez was the team’s full-time starter, completing 66% of his passes for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions.

Lopez’s arm wasn’t his only threat. He also amassed 465 rushing yards and seven TDs on 85 carries. For his efforts, he was named an All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention. However, it’s unclear how Lopez will play against Power Four competition.

On defense, North Carolina has even fewer familiar faces. The Tar Heels’ defense only has two returning starters. However, Bill Belichick picked up several key defensive transfers in the portal, including cornerback Thaddeus Dixon and linebacker Andrew Simpson.

Belichick’s son, Steve, will be calling the shots for the Tar Heels on defense. Lombardi knows North Carolina’s defense will be put to the test in the team’s season-opener against TCU.

“You know the history of TCU, you know what they did in their game, but you just don’t know what they’ve added and how they’ve changed their team,” Lombardi said. “That’s always a little bit concerning as you go into it.

“But like Belichick says all the time, the first quarter’s for assessment in any football game. You’ve got to assess what they are, and I think that’s what we’ll have to do in this game as well.”

On Monday, North Carolina will kick off the Belichick campaign with a showdown against the Horned Frogs at 8 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN.