Tar Heel Tribune Podcast

The “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” with hosts Britt Whitmire and R.L. Bynum, gives Tar Heel Tribune readers a conversational companion to the site’s written coverage of Carolina athletics with interviews, opinions and insights.

From LT to Kobe: Belichick delivers masterclass on defending generational talent

CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick is known for often giving short answers, but expounding on certain subjects that aren’t directly team-related expansively. That was the case during Thursday’s press conference at the Kenan Football Center when he talked about changing schemes to stop star players in sports, using examples that spanned football, basketball and beyond.

UNC women’s soccer, trying to rebound despite roster turnover, wins exhibition

CHAPEL HILL — After leading UNC to its 23rd national championship as interim coach in 2024, Damon Nahas’ first season without the interim title last year was a down year by program standards. Even still, the Heels came seconds away from making the Elite Eight, and Nahas said that context matters when evaluating where the program stands now.

Court ruling accelerates UNC pursuit of another center, focusing on two

One missing piece in the construction of the roster for Coach Michael Malone’s first North Carolina team is a center who is more physical inside. A court ruling will allow players who just finished their fourth seasons to play a fifth season, and the Tar Heels have been in contact with a pair of centers who might fill that need: 7–1, 212-pound Micah Handlogten, who played the last three seasons at Florida, and 7–0, 255-pound Cameron Fens, who played at South Dakota the past two seasons.

Petrino sees promise but not yet separation in UNC QB competition

CHAPEL HILL — Bobby Petrino has a reputation as an offensive genius, and his first challenge as North Carolina’s offensive coordinator is to determine which of six quarterbacks will make the unit most productive. After Thursday’s first practice in which Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill, a redshirt sophomore, got the first reps and freshman Travis Burgess was impressive, Petrino was encouraged with what he saw. But the competition is far from settled.