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By Jordan Sigler
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North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick is trying to shake things up before his second season in college football.
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The Tar Heels finished the season with a disappointing 4-8 overall record and finished 2-6 in ACC play.
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UNC did a poor job recruiting before 2025, and that was a cause for much of the team's struggles against Power 4 programs and ACC play. Per 247 Sports, the Tar Heels are ranked No. 17 in recruiting for their 2026 class, a promising sign for the future in Chapel Hill.
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On Friday, UNC fired offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens. North Carolina's offense finished ranked No. 129 in total offense, averaging 288.8 yards per game and 19.3 points per game.
Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Kitchens' heart issues might have been an issue with his performance early in the season.
"Kitchens had three preventative heart surgeries in 11 days last year, I'm told, which had been anticipated after his initial heart issue arose in 2013," Jones wrote. "So it was a difficult start to the season personally for him along with getting 70 new players on the team acclimated to the scheme."
Kitchens, who was the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2019, is back to full health. Jones thinks he should be a candidate for a job in the NFL or with another college football program for 2026.
Kitchens was on Mack Brown's staff at North Carolina before Belichick arrived. He served as a tight ends coach and run game coordinator in 2023. He served as the interim head coach of the Tar Heels for their bowl game in 2024. (UConn defeated UNC 27-14 in the Fenway Bowl.)
Kitchens went 6-10 during his lone season as head coach of the Browns.
It'll be interesting to see who Belichick hires as his offensive coordinator for 2026. It'll be pivotal that he finds an elite offensive mind as the Tar Heels invest more heavily in their roster.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
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