Pete Thamel highlights UNC’s biggest problem under Bill Belichick, attention on Jordon Hudson

Amid a slow drip, drip, drip of news around the North Carolina football program, what has been lost is how far off the program is from really competing, one ESPN insider claims. Sure, Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson have dominated headlines of late.

But what isn’t being talked about quite as much is the actual state of the program. And ESPN’s Pete Thamel said Tuesday on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning that it isn’t as good as some may think.

“I don’t think that roster right now has anybody shaking in their boots in the ACC,” Thamel said. He would go on to further outline the issue facing Bill Belichick.

The gist of it? That North Carolina has been a victim of talent drain through the transfer portal.

“Here’s what I would say: Forget everything to do with the things that have been focused on the last few weeks,” Thamel said. “To me, Cole, the thing that’s not going well is that the two best players in the program transferred out post-spring: Beau Atkinson and Amare Campbell. Beau Atkinson went to Ohio State, Amare Campbell went to Penn State.

“They were the two leaders in TFLs, leaders of the defense. They went and got the quarterback from South Alabama, which you guys are obviously well aware of, Gio Lopez, to go there.”

But the bottom line is that while Bill Belichick and North Carolina have attempted to supplement via the transfer portal, they’ve also been victimized some by it. Both Atkinson and Campbell were highly productive players.

Atkinson tallied 35 tackles, 12.0 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks last season. Campbell notched 76 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two passes defended.

Suffice it to say, replacing players like that won’t be easy. But that’s exactly the task Bill Belichick is faced with, all exterior drama aside.

“As for Jordon Hudson, she walked in on an interview,” Thamel said. “I don’t think she committed a felony. So I think a lot of this has been a little bit overstated and a little silly and a product of the news vacuum of the time we’re in.”