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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.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino detailed his philosophy on running backs, and the message was clear: pass protection comes before everything else. Petrino said that a deep and versatile group gives him a foundation for what he wants to build.
Michael Malone has continued to be aggressive on the recruiting trail in the last week, and now has scholarship offers out to six of the top seven players in the Class of 2027.
RALEIGH — Five college football coaches sat side-by-side at the Bill Dooley Pigskin Kickoff on Thursday and covered nearly every corner of a sport in transition: the transfer portal, revenue sharing, the debate over whether Congress should get involved in college athletics and tampering. On the latter, second-year UNC coach Bill Belichick, the highest-paid state employee in North Carolina, said that stopping tampering was above his pay grade.
CHARLOTTE — Gio Lopez decided to move on from North Carolina after one season, but made it clear that he has no ill will toward Coach Bill Belichick. Now at Wake Forest, Lopez lamented that he wishes the Tar Heels had taken more advantage of his running ability during his season in Chapel Hill but said that his decision to transfer involved several factors.
CHARLOTTE — It’s too early to tell if North Carolina will be better than last season, but Coach Bill Belichick said Friday morning at ACC Kickoff that the culture has already gotten better. Belichick pointed to the work players have put in since spring practice as the clearest sign of progress.
Bryn Renner has seen North Carolina football from every angle imaginable: as a star quarterback in Kenan Stadium and now as a sideline reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network. On Episode 3 of the “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” Renner offered a blunt but empathetic breakdown of what derailed the Tar Heels in 2025, the first season under Coach Bill Belichick, and why he believes better days are ahead in 2026.
After Duke, rather than eventual College Football Playoff finalist Miami, advanced to the ACC title game, the league moved to revise how it breaks ties to better ensure the two most deserving teams reach the championship. Commissioner Jim Phillips announced the new policy Wednesday on the first day of ACC Kickoff in Charlotte. It takes effect with this season as the conference shifts to a nine‑game league schedule, emphasizes head‑to‑head results while also accounting for the fact that not every program will play the same number of conference games during the transition.
OMAHA, Neb. — The national title dreams of North Carolina vanished early Monday as the frustrations piled up. After an early baserunning mistake cost the Tar Heels a run, the pitching plan went awry, creating the biggest deficit of the season against the hottest team in the country.
OMAHA, Neb. — The pitching and defense that have carried No. 4 North Carolina all season failed the Tar Heels during key moments on the biggest stage, and the offense faded after the first inning. That last pitch to get out of an inning couldn’t come enough, as Oklahoma plated five two-out runs in a 9–3 victory Saturday at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals.
OMAHA, Neb. — It couldn’t be a more fitting stage for Jason DeCaro to make his final college start. The junior ace of No. 4 North Carolina’s staff will get the ball in Game 1 of the College World Series Finals against Oklahoma with the Tar Heels two wins away from the program’s first national championship.
OMAHA, Neb. — The battle for the national championship is set. On Wednesday night, Oklahoma followed No. 4 North Carolina in rolling into the College World Series Finals, easily eliminating No. 3 Georgia 11–4 after the Tar Heels advanced Wednesday afternoon with a 12–7 victory over West Virginia.
OMAHA, Neb. — With the only team seeded higher than North Carolina one win away from elimination, the path at the College World Series to a national championship for the No. 4-ranked Tar Heels could be getting smoother. The No. 5-seed Tar Heels (52–12–1) are now the favorite to win the national championship after Georgia (52–13), the No. 3 seed and No. 3-ranked, lost 4–3 Monday night in a thriller against SEC rival Oklahoma (40–22).
OMAHA, Neb. — Coming into an intense College World Series game with the potential tying run at the plate would rattle the nerves of some pitchers. The moment could have been too big for a pitcher so young that his high school class in Fort Mill, S.C., graduated late last month while he was pitching in the Chapel Hill Regional.
OMAHA, Neb. — No. 4 North Carolina is three wins away from winning the program’s first national championship after moving to 2–0 for the first time since 2006 and the second time in its history. As a reward for being the only undefeated team in Bracket 1, the Tar Heels (52–12–1) get two days off before playing at 2:07 p.m. Wednesday. UNC will face the winner of Tuesday’s 2:07 p.m. elimination game between Troy (39–31) and No. 9 West Virginia (46–15).
