After a disappointing 4-8 finish in his first year at UNC, Bill Belichick is moving to fix the issues that plagued the program this season. He’s addressing some on the recruiting front. However, the head coach is also cleaning the house.

The first to face the axe was his offensive coordinator, Freddie Kitchens. The Tar Heels’ head coach has also fired his special teams coordinator, Mike Priefer. Both Priefer and Kitchens came with an illustrious resume and a promise of excellence at UNC. However, in the 2025 season, both the special teams unit and the offense have deteriorated massively.

“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes. We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavor,” said Bill Belichick in a statement.

Apart from the fact that the Tar Heels managed to win just 4 games, not even making a Bowl game. The offense under Kitchens has been, simply put, woeful. Belichick’s team finished 131st in total offense, 119th in redzone offense, and 121st in scoring offense. Factor in that UNC managed to score just 25 touchdowns, and the situation looks to be grimmer than ever.

Just 7  teams in the country accumulated less than 25 tochdowns and UNC was limited to just 20 points in seven games. Of course, UNC didn’t have the elite players Kitchens would have wanted, but the offensive plays the OC called were utterly mindboggling. Think of the plays where the OC deployed QB Gio Lopez rolling from the pocket on his non-throwing side, and any sane football fan would find themselves scratching their head.

The blame can be placed on Kitchens, and it’s merited, too. But it is also the inability of the head coach to identify the right guy for the OC role. “Met with Coach Kitchens, who will be the first member of the staff that we hire. I have a ton of respect for him … I’m in very close contact with Coach Kitchens … He’s a former NFL coach who will work with the offense. He’s an important hire here,” said Belichick upon promoting Kitchen to the OC role. 

At the time, it made sense. Kitchen was the interim head coach for the team after Mack Brown’s departure. Moreover, his experience coaching college ball since 1999, plus the NFL head coaching stint for the Browns, was alluring for Belichick. Moreover, since Kitchens has been with UNC since 2023, the tight ends coach seemed the right fit to be promoted to OC. Except that has backfired massively, and Belichick must be looking towards an illustrious name with a proven pedigree to lead his offense. As for Mike Priefer, his firing also makes sense.

Events leading up to Mike Preifer’s firing

Mike Priefer was hired in 2025 after two years without a job, after getting fired by the Browns in 2023. Belichick, though, trusted Preifer to do a decent job and must have thought, “If the guy could coach in the NFL, what’s college ball for him?” Sadly, that’s not how college football works. North Carolina stands 77th in punt returns, managing just 137 yards in that.

The special teams had glaring mistakes in crucial games. Right from two blocked field goals against Wake Forest to a missed kick against Duke. Moreover, who can forget the crucial field goal by Duke late in the fourth quarter, resulting in a touchdown? All of it has now culminated in Priefer’s firing from UNC. In Kickoff returns, the team’s position is more awful.

The team is 104th in the country in kickoff returns, and the unit also needs a dire rebuild. Field goals, though, are a bit nuanced story. The team ranks 38th in the country in field goals, but only because the offense failed miserably and the team had to rely more on field goals than touchdowns. Clearly, Bill Belichick is looking for a fresh start, and firing Kitchens and Priefer is the right step in that direction.