Getty

After the Boston Celtics suffered a bad playoff loss, head coach Joe Mazzulla earned comparisons to Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots

Former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick had an eventful first season with the North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, a former player is calling the coach out, as the latter begins his second season in Chapel Hill.

Gio Lopez was the starting quarterback at the beginning of the season for the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2025. He finished with 1747 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had a 65.1 completion percentage. In addition, he also showed an ability to rush the football. He had 33 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the season.

That being said, he was bogged down by injuries over the course of the season. The 2025 season did not go the way Lopez wanted to, and he spoke about it. He transferred to Wake Forest following the season. Sports Illustrated’s Logan Lazarczyk reported this.

“Back at the other school [North Carolina], it felt like there’s no air,” Lopez said. “Here, it’s fun again. They’re moving us in the right direction, energized, and guys are enjoying football. It’s like fresh air. I’d never had to respond to tough situations like that on that loud of a scale.”

“It was more like work,” Lopez said. “After that first game, it felt like getting through the day. You don’t want to live like that, where you’re up at night thinking about the next day.”

Belichick’s Starting QB Had Difficult Season

Lopez went through a multitude of situations in his final season in Chapel Hill. It started just before he took the field. He got into a car crash before the season opener, and played through the pain. He completed only four-of-10 passes, and the Tar Heels lost to TCU. He was sidelined in the third quarter with a back injury in the game.

He then suffered a right leg injury against UCF. He was carted off after landing on his leg during a run on fourth down. He missed the following game against Clemson and spent some time on the sideline. However, he returned in mid-October. These injury issues persisted all the way through the season finale. He suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter against North Carolina State, and was seen leaving the game on crutches

Aside from just Lopez’s struggles, the team struggled as well. They went 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the ACC. They started the season on a high note at 2-1. However, they suffered a stretch from the middle of September until the end of October that saw them lose four consecutive games. They were able to win two in a row between October 31 and November 8, but finished with three straight losses to end the season.

Max Johnson ended up splitting time with Lopez in 2025. Johnson played in four games, and recorded 432 passing yards, and two touchdowns. Johnson was coming off an injury to his arm, and he suffered a broken right leg on a sack late in the third quarter during the 2024 season. He had surgery and missed the remainder of the year.

Following the 2025 season, Johnson entered the transfer portal and committed to Georgia Southern in January. Now, he will seek a fresh start.

Belichick Known For Tightly-Run Ship

These comments are certainly interesting. Belichick ran a strict organization with the Patriots. It sounds like that carried over to UNC. Belichick’s style is certainly not for everybody, and it’s clear that the Tar Heels had difficulty adjusting in his first season.

It will be interesting to see how the program does in its second season with the legendary coach at the helm. There were signs of improvement and growth within the program. However, the program needs to take additional steps. 2026 could be the start of that.