UNC National Signing Day: Bill Belichick and Michael Lombardi Quotes & Video

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Closing out North Carolina football’s National Signing Day, coach Bill Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi addressed the media on Wednesday to talk about the team’s immense 2026 recruiting class.

UNC’s staff had been at it since 7 a.m. calling every single signee of the 39-player class, as well as their families, friends and coaches, to welcome them into the program. The Tar Heels hope that the class will serve as a large foundation for Belichick’s rosters moving forward, complementing portal additions. 

Of the 39 signees, all but three will enroll in January to begin practicing with the team during the spring period. Belichick and Lombardi were excited about the bulk of players arriving early, explaining it would alleviate some of the troubles they had in cementing last year’s roster well after spring practices ended.

Watch the full press conference of Belichick and Lombardi’s statements about the 2026 class below, as well as noteworthy excerpts from what the two had to say. 

The purpose of the class is to provide a foundation:

Belichick: “They will be a foundation for our program. They represent, really the values that we stand for, at least the way we feel at this time. That’s why we recruited those players, and it really transcends the entire football team. We signed one quarterback, one running back, but in other positions — receiver, tight end, offensive-defensive line, linebacker, defensive back, a kicker and a punter — it’s a pretty balanced class.”

Large class size is a result of college football’s coaching carousel:

Lombardi: “(The class) is big, it’s robust. It wasn’t intended always to be that way, but I think with what a lot of things have happened during the course of the season, with coaching changes, which opened up a lot of players to come available, it afforded us an opportunity to capitalize on that and build a roster.”

“We didn’t shift our mind, we’re just (like), why should we stop collecting good players? Who wrote a rule that said you should only take 22 seniors? Like, I didn’t see that in the manual when I came here… I think developing your own has always been the best way to build a team, because you’re building a foundation.” 

Signing day is the first step towards solidifying offseason evaluations and assessing what still needs to be addressed through the portal:

Lombardi: “Your team needs list is pretty much… We must have this. Then the second category is, you want this. Then the third category is, you need this. That’s players that you’d like to improve, but you have a player there. And then those three categories, you have to fill in the blanks, because remember, we’re in the veterinarian business. The football team doesn’t talk to you. When you bring your dog to the vet, the dog doesn’t say, ‘Oh, my right heel bothers me.’ Right? So the vet has to figure out what’s wrong with the dog, right? It’s the same thing with football teams… You got to figure out why. So when you figure out why, you develop that list, and then you go out, and you try to fill those needs based on how you handle it, and you try to work your way systematically through. That’s how the offseason works.”

What the quarterback evaluation will look like in light of UNC adding another passer in Travis Burgess to the room:

Lombardi: “I think we’re going to spend a lot of time on every position and evaluate every position correctly, and then understand where we need to go forward. And certainly, Travis Burgess. Obviously, he missed most of his senior season with his injuries, so that has to play into account. So we’re going to make decisions with what we think is the best interest of our program moving forward, based on the total realm of what we think is needed for our team. And we don’t really know what is going to happen tomorrow, because the portal doesn’t open up until January.” 

How the salary cap and revenue sharing work when recruiting high school players:

Lombardi: “It’s the same every year for the National Football League. I think we’re accustomed to it, frankly. We now have to answer two questions. You have a scholarship, and you have a revenue share contract — and you have to negotiate the revenue share contract. So value becomes important.” 

“The other thing you have to do is you have to have a salary cap that has integrity within your own team. So your best player has to make the most money, taking the quarterback out of it because they usually make the most, but your best player (makes the most), and then your second best player, and you work your way down. But if your 20th player is making X, and your second-best player is making Y, and it’s less than that, you’ve got a problem on your team.”