Bill Belichick’s North Carolina debut season quickly turned into a nightmare. With a 4-8 record and 29 players exiting the team, the North Carolina Tar Heels couldn’t seem to find stability. With the portal closing on January 16, UNC is bracing for bittersweet chaos because top players are making their final, heart-wrenching moves away from Kenan Stadium.

Belichick lost a bunch of defensive backs. Ty White, Malcolm Ziglar, and Khalil Conley all entered the portal. But on the positive side of things, defensive back Greg Smith reversed his decision to enter the portal and now plans on returning to the team. It’s a silver lining in an otherwise awful portal window.

Greg Smith steadily grew in his role during the 2025 season, recording 33 or more snaps in each of UNC’s final five games. He finished the season with 24 total tackles, 16 of which were solo tackles, and one interception, making him one of the most effective players on the team. Smith was a transfer player who came in from Florida in the 2025 offseason after playing in five games and recording five tackles for them.

Greg Smith also stood as one of the four returning defensive backs who logged at least 200 snaps alongside Kaleb Cost, Jaiden Patterson, and Coleman Bryson. After a shaky season, showing trust in Belichick is a major boost for the program.

Smith may have backed off on his decision to move away, but that didn’t stop the bleeding in other units. Offensive lineman Miles McVay committed to Mississippi State, having spent this past season at UNC, with injuries limiting him to eight games. Losing McVay could be an issue for the Tar Heels’ OL, who’ve already lost players like Jani Norwood, William Boone, Zach Rice, and Desmond Jackson.

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Their QB room also looks thin after Bryce Baker and Max Johnson move to the transfer portal. While Gio Lopez, who was struggling on the field, has also left and signed with Wake Forest.

With so many exits, McVay’s move away has added even more pressure on Bill Belichick. Well, players aren’t the only folks that have departed UNC, one of Belichick’s supporters has also exited the program.

Bill Belichick loses an ardent supporter

Bill Belichick has lost one of his biggest backers. The former chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, John Preyer, has reportedly stepped down. Having joined the board in 2019, Preyer helped in hiring Belichick, thinking his NFL expertise could bring immediate changes to the program. But after a dismal 2025 season, that decision proved to be a disaster, and backlash followed soon after.

“I find it hard to believe that a great teacher of football is not going to succeed at the college level,” Preyer said to WRAL in a documentary about hiring Belichick. “If I’m wrong, I mean, what the hell? If I’m wrong, screw you all. I mean, I tried.”

Preyer’s resignation shows that accountability for their losing season also falls on the administration, not just on Bill Belichick. Meanwhile, players and parents are blaming the culture in the UNC program under Belichick, accusing him of creating a toxic environment. As the 73-year-old reshaped Tar Heels football, old locker room fissures between coaches and players deepened. Belichick lavished upgraded facilities and perks on his loyal staff, and getting prized transfers over committing to the existing roster exacerbated the situation.

Even North Carolina Law and Government professor Christopher B. McLaughlin expressed his dissatisfaction with AD Bubba Cunningham, saying, “Please end this circus.” Now, amid all of this turmoil, it will be interesting to see how Bill Belichick carries this team to 2026.