By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — During a press conference on Tuesday at the Kenan Football Center, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi said he thinks of the Tar Heels as the 33rd NFL team and he is approaching it that way. Here’s a compete transcript of the press conference, along with a video of it:
— Opening statement:
“Since Coach [Bill] Belichick and I arrived December 11, this has been an incredible, incredible 60 days with a lot of support and a lot of help from the Carolina community, starting with everybody in the academic office, with [Athletics Director] Bubba [Cunningham] and [Senior Associate Athletics Director] Rick [Steinbacher] and, of course, Lee Roberts, our chancellor. So there’s a lot of people that have gone into the work that we’ve been able to do in the last 60 days, that really go unnoticed, that we appreciate every effort.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but we’re looking forward to it. I think the main focus for what we want to deal with is our program is really placed on player development. Coach Belichick often said talent sets the floor, character determines the ceiling. And so every player that we bring in, it’s really about us developing, and that development comes from their ability to grasp into the system.
“I was fortunate enough to work for Coach [Bill] Walsh for many years, and he used to say, ‘The first year, we’ll teach you the system, the second year will develop you the skills of the system.’ Player development is really important. So, of all the players that we signed, going back to before we got here and to where we are today, it’s really about integrating it into a team and developing talent. So, that’s the journey that lies ahead of us from this point forward.
“I know everybody’s going to ask what the expectations are. Our expectations are we’re going to get better every day. That’s what we have to do. That’s what we’re prepared to do, and that’s all we can control.”
— On accomplishments with infrastructure:
“The hardest part was getting all the people together. It took a while to hire the right people and put them in the right positions — the coaching staff, which is still ongoing. We’ll have an announcement about that later. But the reality of it is, it’s building a personnel department. Hiring people are great, but then those people have to buy into what you’re doing and what you believe in, and how they’re going to evaluate. So that’s what it’s ongoing, and we’re learning more about the people that we’ve hired. They’re learning more about what we’re looking for in terms of talent. Everybody’s trying to get better, but to set up the pro department to get it to work seamlessly is going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort on our part.”
— On the differences in GM role in college vs. NFL:
“Well, I had an academic meeting today, so I wouldn’t have had that in the NFL. But I would have had a different meeting. I probably would’ve had a security meeting. And so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference in it, in the sense that there’s a lot of moving parts.
“There’s way more names I’m dealing with. When you work as the general manager in the NFL, you’re dealing with one draft class, you’re dealing with one free agent class, and you can prepare for that. It now you’re dealing with the ‘26 class, the ‘27 class, the ‘28 class.
“So, there’s a lot more names to deal with. So, there’s more volume than it would be in pro football, but the job is very similar. You have to accurately predict the future of players’ talent and their character, and then you’ve got to assign a dollar sign to it, and you’ve got to be able to have, in concert, the ability to develop the talent from within.
“I think what we learned watching the Super Bowl is the same thing we’ve learned before watching the Super Bowl: that teams that can control the offensive and defensive line win games. And so from a team-building standpoint, that’s what we said we were going to do in December. We’re going to build a team inside-out, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do, and so part of my job is to maintain that philosophy.
— On offseason strength and conditioning:
“Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team. We consider ourselves the 33rd because everybody involved with our program has had some form of aspect in pro football. And Moses [Cabrera], our strength coach, spent a lot of time, 14 years, in New England.
“Training is different for football than it is for other sports. You need lower-body strength, you need lower-body power. You need to be able to to handle the physical grind of the season. Our training is conducive to what happens on the field. You know, you have to be able to play with power in your lower body. So you have to train your lower body, and you’ve got to be able to have the right balance of rest, hydration and nutrition, which we’ve been very fortunate to come in here. Our nutritionist, Amber, she’s been outstanding. You know, she was here before we got here, she’s been outstanding in terms of helping the players understand what lies ahead of them.
“One thing that’s always been important to Coach Belichick is, what happens on the field has to happen in the practice field. ‘Practice execution becomes game reality’ is a sign that used to hang in the Patriots’ facility, and that’s the same thing in the strength room. We’re going to do things that are going to translate to the field.”
— On recruiting high school players all over the country:
“We believe in our eyes. Red Auerbach has a great saying, ‘We get our information from looking, not from talking.’ I think if you trust your eyes and you evaluate players, it doesn’t really matter if some other school wants them. All I know is from my 35 years or more in the National Football League, I’ve drafted players that weren’t recruited out of high school. I’ve drafted players that have no scholarship offers coming out of high school. There’s always going to be a lot of guys that get missed, and I think you have to trust your instincts and trust your eyes.
“Our footprint — I’m fortunate. I work for a great university. This is one of the top universities in America. It’s harder to get in this school for an out-of-state person than it is to get into Yale or Harvard. They don’t take very many. We have a great brand. We have this UNC logo — it is worldwide. So, we shouldn’t limit ourselves. I think that we can walk into any school and say, ‘We’re North Carolina. We have the greatest coach in the history of football, and we have a great university — come play for us.’ I think it’s a powerful message. And so why should we limit ourselves to just a smaller footprint? And it allows you to look all over the country for the players that fit you. We’re going to be a national program, and we’re not going to back down to some other programs, because we’re in North Carolina. We’ll stand on any firm ground against anyone.”
— On quarterbacks on the roster and who starts the opener:
“I can’t even imagine Week 1. I’m trying to get through Week 5 of the offseason. I think everything comes down to everything matters. How we lift weights matters. How we prepare matters. How we go to class matters. How we handle our nutrition matters. To understand how that all comes to fruition really won’t happen until we start accumulating all the things that matter. And guess what? Everything matters. I think we’ve got some really good players that are working hard, that we’ve brought in. Some of them aren’t here yet. Some of them are injured, and everybody’s going to get a fair opportunity. Coach Belichick and I have always believed in, going back to the Bill Walsh theory — it doesn’t matter where you get picked. It matters how you play. It really matters how you play. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.”
—On whether he’ll be one of the program’s spokesmen:
“I think this program is built on the vision and the identity of the greatest coach of all time. I‘m fortunate enough to have worked for [Belichick] for a long time. But, philosophically, we come from the same school, and that school is about building a team inside-out. That school is about physical and mental toughness. That school is about dependable and hard-working players. So, who’s doing the messaging? Really, it’s his message, and I think he’s going to handle a lot of that. Obviously, he’s going to meet with you guys on a regular basis, I’m sure whatever the schedule is during the season. My job is to just adhere to what the program believes in. I’m not the spokesman. I represent what we need to do.”
— On the most suprising part of the process:
“First of all, I think the people in Chapel Hill are incredibly friendly, and I don’t say that slightly. I know I’m a New Jersey guy, and we’re used to being treated rudely. Nobody’s honked a horn at me, which is rare. To me, it’s just been the gracious … the openness that people have showed here. Not that that’s surprising, it’s just really kind of humbling. And I think that there’s a lot of pride in this program, and there’s a lot of pride in this university, and I think our job is to bring it out.
“I think what we have to do is we have to honor those who’ve come before us. These screens here that talk about the former players that have been here? That’s not enough. They deserve more than a screen. They deserve way more than that because we’ve had so many great players here. I think we’re going to have to pay really, more respect to the greatness of this program from a football standpoint. We haven’t won an ACC [title] since 1980; we’re all aware of that. But, man, we’ve had a lot of good players, and they deserve to be in this hallway. They deserve to have the spotlight. So I think, in terms of what’s been the hardest part, is trying to bring out those alumni, bring them back. It’s a beautiful facility, but it’s not a home for the older players.”
— On building support for the program:
“The first rule of leadership is called management of attention. That means, do you have a plan? And the only way you can have a plan, the only way you can lead people is to explain the plan. That’s the job of any football team. I grew up in outside of Philadelphia. I hate the process, despise it with a passion. Thought it was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of in my life. We’re going to lose to win. It didn’t work out, by the way. I just want to be on record saying that. But, what I learned from that was, as stupid as it was, that people bought into it because they explained it.
“Part of our job is to explain who we are and what we’re doing. That’s what the fans want to know, and they want to know what their program is, because they want to stand next to somebody and say they’re building this in North Carolina, and they want to say it with authority. And so that’s my job, that’s Coach Belichick’s job is to keep echoing those comments. And I think once you get people to buy into your plan and you explain it — the second area of leadership is called management of meeting — you get people to follow you.”
— On the spring schedule and his typical day:
“We’ve looked at a spring schedule. A lot of it’s going to be determined off recruiting. We’ll eventually make an announcement on what we’re going to do spring-wise. But a lot of it will be tied to we want players to come visit our campus when we’re practicing because I think we have a unique way of practicing. They can watch a coaching staff that’s filled with a lot of pro coaches, but also watch a guy who’s won eight Super Bowls coach a team around them.
“My day is spent, really, on player evaluation. Understanding, right now we’re building a board so that we can identify who we want to sign, who we want to go after. And then part of it is, we have to get everybody in unison. You’re dealing with a lot of players, a lot of names, and who’s contacting the players. I think the other part of this, or this university, has been remarkable is — because you’re talking to somebody who’s never been in college football since 1981 — [the] compliance [department] has been incredibly valuable to me, because I am a walking disaster if I don’t have compliance. And so they’ve been very helpful, and they’ve been very good at telling me what we can and can’t do, because we’re not going to violate any rules, but we got to know what they are. My day is pretty much spent like it was in the NFL. Get here early, watch tape, study players, write reports.”
— On the importance of the spring portal season:
“I think every time you can acquire more talent, it’s an important window. I think we have obviously more time to prepare for it because we wouldn’t have just gotten thrown right into it. I think a lot of scouting is preparation. We won’t know the names who are in the portal, but we’ll have a better idea about what it takes to be in the portal and who could possibly enter, and then have an ability to evaluate them. The way you want to run a program isn’t to be reactive. Al Davis used to say this all the time, to me — the secret to any great organization lies in the ability to anticipate problems, not react. I think when we got in here, we were reacting to the portal, and now we can anticipate the portal, which certainly will help us.”
— On what transition has been like for returning players:
“To me, that’s been the most rewarding thing is to get players to come in and buy into the system. We talk about who we’ve signed, but we are one team. It’s not like this signing class and some others. We’re all one team. And I think we have to really do a good job of showing our players kind of what to expect and how the program is going to be different than it was in the past. Every program is different when you make a coaching change. The players have been really receptive. I think that they’ve been great at taking the information in, and when Coach is able to get in front of them at our team meetings and talk about football and what it takes and what we expect from them, I think they’ve been really good. And I think they’ve responded. Our offseason workouts have been good. The players want to be coached. I think one thing you learn about players — whether it’s high school, college or pro — players want to improve. Your job as a coach, whether you’re 18 years old as a coach or whether you’re 85 like Tom Moore, if you can make the player better, players will listen. So, our job is to make them better.”
— On why a GM is important:
“Football is challenging. I think Coach Belichick would be better to speak about this. There’s a lot of things that go into building a team, and there is a lot of areas. Sometimes when money’s involved — because, let’s be honest, money’s involved now — you have to have a subjective way of determining how to handle the money and how to place a value on it, and you have to remove bias. I think that’s the biggest challenge in pro football, is there’s bias built in internally in terms of — I want this player; I want that player. Somebody has to be the voice of saying, well, we can find an alternative here, and maybe we can’t. I think team-building requires more than just one person. In the day when I first started in the league, it didn’t because we didn’t have much player movement, much volatility. Now there is in all levels.”
— On the process of delegating responsibilities:
“We’re a head-coach run program. I don’t mean that in any disrespect to our assistant coaches, but our head coach is the philosophy of the organization. That’s the way it was when he came to Cleveland in 1991 and when he was in New England. We are always going to be built on a philosophical belief. And people that work within that philosophy execute that program and execute that plan in their own style, in their own way. Charlie Weis was different than Josh McDaniels. Romeo Crennel is different than Matt Patricia. Nick Saban was different than some other coaches we had on the staff. But everybody that works on those staffs that we’ve had have all philosophically believed in what Bill was wanted the team to look like. Because, at the end of the day, football teams are who you want them to look like. If you want to be a tall team, you draft tall players. You want to be a fat team, you draft fat players. It just goes that way. So, that that comes from the head coach. It’s the all our jobs is to execute the plan. The coaches will have their ability to influence it, but it’ll all be driven off of the philosophy that’s that’s been set in stone.”
— On the backstory on how the philosophy of building a program from inside-out came about:
“The great thing about football is you can study winning on any level, and there’s a formula for why teams win and why teams lose. And if you pay close attention to it, it’s not that difficult. Football, going back to when [Vince] Lombardi coached the Packers in the ‘60s, to when Bill [Parcells] coached the Giants, or Bill Walsh coached the 49ers, it’s about who wins the line, who controls the game.
“There’s always two elements in a football game: Who’s in the lead and who’s in control. On Sunday, it was pretty clear the Eagles were in the lead and in control. There was really no dispute. But if you go back to the 28–3 game against Atlanta, Atlanta was in the lead, but not necessarily in control. So, the only way you can get in control of the game is through the offensive and defensive lines. And so, if you believe that philosophy, that’s building the team inside out from the lines to the receivers.
“I’ve been influenced, before I met Coach Belichick, by Coach Walsh. When we traded for Jerry Rice, we had the 28th pick in the draft, and we had just won a Super Bowl, and Freddie Solomon was our best receiver on the team. [He] was a great receiver, along with Dwight Clark. Coach Walsh, walked in and asked me to write a report on three players: Al Toon, Eddie Brown and Jerry Rice. When he asked me to write that report, he said, ‘We are now finally in a position to go get a big-time receiver, because the team is really good around him.’ And I asked him, I said, ‘What do you mean by that?’ He said, ‘Well, we can get the ball to a great player now, because we’re good in both lines.’ And that’s been that’s impacted me my whole life. Now we’re in the mock draft season and on TV, you’ll see 42 receivers going in the first round, as if everybody forgot about how the Eagles won the Super Bowl.
— On the biggest unknown between developing players at different levels:
“It’s the same thing. It’s the character of the player. If the player has the character and the will to want to be a great player, he’ll reach his level. One of the things that the Navy has always done is they’ve spent over a half a billion dollars trying to find out who can make the Navy SEAL program. They spent a half a billion dollars on it. They end up with 175 candidates, and they end up with 30 at the end of the time, maybe 25. What they can’t figure out — and we spent a lot of time talking to Navy SEALs — who can do it every day. Who can do the volume every day? They’ll tell you at the Navy SEALs program, who’s ever first in line the first day never makes it. Whoever runs the fastest never makes it. It’s the one who can do it every day. And it’s the same thing in recruiting. We can never really get a true, accurate portrayal of the heart and the character, of how much, how important it is to the player. And that’s the variable that we’re always trying to find out. That’s what we’re always trying to ask questions. That’s why we’re always looking at the player and asking, ‘What’s the most important thing?’ What obstacles have they overcome to get to where they have to go because we can’t determine who can handle the volume. You can watch five clips on a player and say, ‘That guy’s great.’ But we have to make him better than he is, and does he have the will to be better? That’s the hard thing to judge whether it’s pro football or college.”
— On handling the de facto salary cap:
“We have a collective, so we know what’s in the collective. To have any any monetary value, you have to have a system. If you’re a starter on the team, there’s going to be a certain value placed on what level of starter you are. That’s why you have to have a grading system. You just can’t arbitrarily say, ‘I like this guy; like that guy.’ We’re not picking fruit here. You got to have a grading system. The grade reflects what you pay. It’s an amazing thing. Everybody says, ‘This guy’s a first rounder; this guy’s a second rounder.’ That’s insignificant. A first rounder makes X, and a second round makes Y. So what you’re doing is valuing the player when you use those terms. When they do it on television, they don’t value the player, because it’s not their money. But when you’re picking in real life, you’re saying, ‘I’m going to give this guy a guaranteed contract for five years. He’s worth X. Is that talent worth that? It’s the same thing you’re doing in high school on a lower level. You have to be able to do that. If a starter, he starts for three years on your program, he’s going to make significant money. The guy starts one year, he’s going to make a little bit. The next year, he’s got to prove himself again because every year, every player could leave. You have to have some kind of way, or else you have anarchy. You don’t have any system. That’s why you have to have a grading system. That’s why you have to grade your players every single day. You have to grade every player so you know what you’re losing and what you have to expect to get back.”
— On whether allocating player money is different from the NFL:
“What we’re dealing with now, reminds me of a time when we had this thing in the NFL that they called Plan B. I don’t know what Plan A was, but it was called Plan B. You froze 37 players off your roster, and then everybody else on your roster was a free agent. And so there’s an element of the portal that’s like Plan B. It was kind of chaotic. There was a long time in the NFL where nobody was sharing information. It was against the CBA. You couldn’t do it today. You can go on NFL.org, and you can see everybody’s contracts; the agents have it, and all that. It was a little bit wilder time back then, and I’m old enough to remember that. So, I think it’s similar to that. So there’s an element of plan B that’s in the portal, and there’s an element of just true free agency that’s in the portal. Does the guy really have this offer? Doesn’t he not have the offer? And you got to make it. But again, it comes back to the philosophy. If you believe in something and you want to improve in that area, you’re going to put your money where your mouth is. It won’t be hard to figure out where we want to put [money]. We’re going to sign defensive and offensive linemen I mean we’re going to put our money where our mouth is.
UNC schedule
| Month/ date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| September | |
| 1 (Monday), 7:30, ESPN | vs. TCU |
| 6 | at Charlotte |
| 13 | vs. Richmond |
| 20 | at Central Florida |
| October | |
| 4 | vs. Clemson |
| 16 or 17 (Thurs. or Fri.) | at California |
| 25 | vs. Virginia |
| 31 (Friday) | at Syracuse |
| November | |
| 8 | vs. Stanford |
| 15 | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | vs. Duke |
| 29 | at N.C. State |
Transfer portal transactions
Incoming transfers
(Next season’s classes listed)
Senior defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude • 6–5, 260 pounds • Delaware
2024: 11 games, 10 tackles, 17 assists, 6.5 sacks for 50 yards, 8 QB hits
Senior offensive tackle William Boone (2 years of eligibility) • 6–6, 349 pounds • Prairie View A&M
2024: 12 games, team-high 782 snaps; didn’t allow a sack
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne • 6–4, 210 pounds • Purdue
2024: 8 games, 34 of 76, 532 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 127.5 quarterback rating
Junior defensive back Coleman Bryson • 6–2, 210 pounds • Minnesota
2024: 13 games, 14 tackles, 6 assists, 3 passes defended (pick-six below from 2022 season)
Junior tight end Connor Cox • 6–6, 251 pounds • South Carolina
2024: 4 games, 1 catch, 9 yards, 1 TD
Fifth-year cornerback Thaddeus Dixon • 6-1, 186 pounds • Washington
2024: 13 games, 26 tackles, 17 assists, 2 tackles for losses, 1 interception, 10 passes defended, 1 forced fumble
Senior defensive back Gavin Gibson • 6-0, 185 pounds • East Carolina
2024: 13 games, 25 tackles, 27 assists, 3 interceptions, 3 pass breakups
Sophomore linebacker Khmori House • 6-0, 213 pounds • Washington
2024: 12 games, 19 tackles, 16 assists, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 1 QB hit
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aziah Johnson • 6–0, 175 pounds • Michigan State
2024: 12 games, 16 catches, 276 yards, 2 touchdowns; 1 rush, 15 yards
Fifth-year center Christo Kelly • 6–4, 305 pounds • Holy Cross
2024: Started 12 games, part of line that allowed 1.08 sacks per game, 11th-best in country
Fifth-year offensive lineman Daniel King • 6–5, 340 pounds • Troy
2024: 12 games, 429 snaps at right tackle, 360 at right guard, allowed 2 sacks, named All-Sun Belt second team
Senior offensive lineman Chad Lindberg • 6–6, 315 pounds • Rice (Georgia before that)
2024: Played 11 games after playing 20 games and 139 snaps for Georgia
Sophomore offensive tackle Miles McVay • 6–6, 340 pounds • Alabama
2024: 5 games, 94 snaps
Sophomore defensive tackle C.J. Mims • 6–2, 302 pounds • East Carolina
2024: 12 games, 4 tackles, 19 assists, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Jason Robinson Jr. • 5–10, 151 pounds • Washington
2024: Redshirted after catching 68 passes for 900 yards as a senior at Long Beach Poly
Junior place-kicker Adam Samaha • 5–11, 195 pounds • Michigan
2024: didn’t play (Wolverines had Big Ten Kicker of Year Dominic Zvada)
2023: 1 game, 1 extra-point attempt made • Hit 60-yard FG in training (in below video)
Sophomore safety Peyton Waters • 6–1, 182 pounds • Washington
2024: 13 games, 3 tackles, 2 assists
Redshirt senior defensive lineman Pryce Yates • 6–4, 265 pounds • UConn
2024: 7 games, 12 tackles, 9 assists, 3.5 sacks for 23 yards, 5 QB hurries; Fenway Bowl defensive MVP
Tar Heels entering, exiting portal
(Next season’s classes listed)
Redshirt sophomore 5–11, 180-pound defensive back Ty Adams
2024: 4 tackles
Sophomore 6–3, 300-pound offensive lineman Aidan Banfield
2024: 62.8 Pro Football Focus grade best in country among true freshmen
Fifth-year 6–5, 310 fifth-year center Austin Blaske
2024: Started 11 games with Pro Football Focus grade of 85.6
Junior 6–0, 230-pound linebacker Amare Campbell
2024: 12 games, 42 tackles, 30 assists, 11 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Fifth-year 5–11, 220-pound running back Caleb Hood
2024: 4 games, 7 carries, 3 yards, 1 catch, 29 yards
Senior 6–1, 190-pound wide receiver Kobe Paysour
2024: 12 games, 19 catches, 330 yards
In the transfer portal
— Offensive linemen Zach Greenberg (committed to James Madison), Jakiah Leftwich (Central Florida), Malik McGowan (UNLV), Andrew Rosinski (Georgia Tech), Howard Sampson (Texas Tech) and Eli Sutton (Austin Peay)
— Running back Jordan Louie
— Quarterbacks Conner Harrell (Charlotte), Michael Merdinger (Liberty) and Jacolby Criswell (East Tennessee State)
— Linebackers Ashton Woods (West Virginia) and Caleb LaVallee (Florida State)
— Defensive lineman Travis Shaw (Texas)
— Defensive backs DeAndre Boykins and Tyrane Stewart
— Place-kicker Noah Burnette (Notre Dame)
Reported Belichick’s staff members
General manager Michael Lombardi — Worked in NFL 1984–2016, including Cleveland Browns general manager in 2013 and assistant to the coaching staff for the New England Patriots 2014–16
Director of Player Personnel Joe Anile — NFL scout for the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars
Assistant Director of Player Personnel Andrew Blaylock — Assistant athletics director for player personnel at Central Florida the last three seasons; had similar positions at Appalachian State 2016–22 and Texas State 2015–16
Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick — Defensive coordinator last season at Washington; New England Patriots defensive coach 2012–23
Strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera — New England Patriots assistant strength coach 2011–15; head Patriots strength and conditioning coach 2016–23
Offensive assistant coach Bob Diaco — Was defensive coach at LSU the last two seasons; has coached in college since 1999.
Offensive-line coach Will Friend — Offensive coordinator last season at Western Kentucky; was offensive line coach at Tennessee (2018–20), Auburn (2021–22), Mississippi State (2023) and Tennessee; offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Colorado State (2015–17) and offensive line coach at Georgia (2011–14)
Cory Giddings — Will be part of player personnel staff; Director of Player Personnel at Central Florida the past two seasons, working with Blaylock there, and before that at Appalachian State
Armond Hawkins — Was secondary analyst and assistant director of recruiting last season at Washington. Before that, he spent one season at Arizona, one season at Colorado and two seasons at Southern Cal.
Defensive assistant coach Chris Jones — CFL coach 2002–18, 2021–2024; 2018 CFL Coach of Year at Saskatchewan; head coach in 2015 of Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos; Cleveland Browns defensive assistant coach 2019
Offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens — UNC run-game coordinator and tight ends coach 2023–24; interim UNC coach for 2024 Fenway Bowl; head coach Cleveland Browns 2019; Assistant coach with New York Giants (2020–21), Browns (2018), Arizona Cardinals (2007–2017), Dallas Cowboys (2006), Mississippi State (2004), North Texas (2001–03), LSU (2000) and Glenville State (1999)
Offensive assistant coach Matt Lombardi — Was an offensive analyst last season at Oregon; NFL assistant with Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers
Running backs coach Natrone Means — A UNC running back (1990–92) who was a two-time All-ACC pick, he has been with the program since joining Mack Brown’s staff as an offensive analyst in 2021.
Offensive assistant coach Garrick McGee — Was wide receivers coach at Louisville the last two seasons. Has coached in college since 1996.
Chris Mattes — The former professional lacrosse player had been the New England Patriots’ Director of Football Development, and had been with the team the last eight seasons.
Assistant coach Billy Miller — IMG Academy assistant head coach 2014–21, head coach 2022–24
Special teams coach Mike Priefer — NFL assistant coach since 2002; head special teams coach at Kansas City (2006–08), Denver (2009–10), Minnesota (2011–18) and Cleveland (2019–22).
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