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North Carolina provides blank depth chart hours prior to start of Bill Belichick era

Chandler Vesselsby: Chandler Vessels09/01/25ChandlerVessels
bill belichick north carolina depth chart
Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

North Carolina coach Bill Belichick raised some eyebrows with his release of the team’s depth chart for Monday’s season opener. Hours before kickoff against TCU, photos emerged on social media of the depth chart.

But those excited to see who the starters were would be disappointed. In fact, no player was listed at all on the depth chart, with simply positions written with blank spaces below them.

Of course, Belichick has been known to be short with media and disclose as little as possible throughout his career as an NFL coach. It doesn’t appear as if anything has changed as he gets off on his new venture in college.

Fans at least won’t be guessing on the starting quarterback, as it was announced last week that South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez won the job. Lopez joined the Tar Heels after serving as the Jaguars’ full-time starter during the 2024 campaign, completing 66% of his passes for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions. He also amassed 465 rushing yards and seven TDs on 85 carries.

Belichick brings legendary status with him to Chapel Hill, having won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the NFL. He takes over a team that finished 6-7 the year prior and is in need of a massive rebuild.

Belichick added more than 70 new players combined between transfers and incoming freshman. That also leaves a lot of questions as to who will see the most playing time, and Belichick certainly wasn’t tipping his hand here. Kick off for Monday’s game between the Tar Heels and Horned Frogs is set for 8 p.m. ET in Chapel Hill.

Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor among celebrities planning to attend Bill Belichick’s first North Carolina game

The stars are expected to be out for Bill Belichick‘s debut as North Carolina‘s head coach. On Monday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed a laundry list of celebrities who are planning to attend the Tar Heels’ season-opener against TCU this evening.

“Attendees expected tonight for Bill Belichick’s UNC debut against TCU, per ESPN sources, include Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm, Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers, Eric Church, Chase Rice and Blake Snell. Hard to quantify the buzz here in Chapel Hill,” Thamel wrote on X.

The scene will likely be reminiscent of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders‘ home-opener in the 2023 campaign. The game drew appearances from rapper Lil’ Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and NBA star Kawhi Leonard.

On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.