It has not been the best week for North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick. First, he was listed near the bottom of a list of the Power 4 conference head coaches going into 2026. That likely is not something that will get to him. However, Friday’s report from Pete Nakos of On3 will.
In February, Belichick and UNC hit it big in the Transfer Portal when Western Carolina quarterback Taron Dickens committed to the Tar Heels. One of the most prolific signal callers across college football was expected to come into Chapel Hill and be QB1 in 2026.
That’s not happening.
North Carolina QB Taron Dickens De-Commits From Bill Belichick
Dickens was a huge pick-up for Belichick after they lost Max Johnson, Gio Lopez, and Bryce Baker, who is at Virginia Tech playing for James Franklin. He will likely back up Penn State transfer Ethan Grunkemeyer. Dickens was expected to enroll during the summer, but according to Don Callahan of Inside Carolina, a source told him that it was academic-related. Nakos reported that Dickens was released by UNC.
Maryland transfer Billy Edwards and Texas A&M transfer Miles O’Neill will likely battle for the starting job against TCU in the season opener. Belichick also had freshman Travis Burgess, while Au’Tori Newkirk is returning.
This is a big loss for Belichick and the Tar Heels. Dickens threw for over 3,500 yards and 38 touchdowns last season for Western Carolina in the FCS. The Miami native threw for over 900 yards combined in wins over Sanford and Wofford last fall.
“He throws it really easy, throws it into good spots, throws it on time, with consistency,” Inside Carolina analyst Jason Staples said of Dickens at the time of the transfer signing. “These are all things that matter a lot. The ceiling there, if everything clicks elsewhere, is pretty good. He’s a no-risk add on. There’s enough there that it’s a solid take and a guy that you’re going to want to give an opportunity to compete for the job just to see if maybe it clicks for him more than it does the other guys.”
North Carolina Must Adjust Without Taron Dickens
If it is an academic issue, there’s nothing that North Carolina and Belichick can do but move on. However, it is a cherry on top of a rough week for UNC’s second-year head coach. Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports ranked the 68 Power 4 conference head coaches. He had Belichick No. 63.
“This is a fascinating result to me. Bill Belichick not only drops nine spots in our rankings after a 4-8 debut with the Tar Heels last season, but he’s the only other coach besides Stanford’s Tavita Pritchard to receive last-place votes. He got three! That’s right, the coach who won six Super Bowls finished behind a coach who has never been a head coach at any level and was only 13 years old when Belichick won his first Super Bowl with the Patriots,” Fornelli wrote.
“I genuinely don’t question my fellow voters’ rankings too much, but I have a very difficult time seeing the logic behind those decisions.”
It feels like, after a rough first season, things need to turn around in Chapel Hill quickly for Belichick. It won’t be easy with questions surrounding his quarterback situation. Fall camp is two months away. There are just as many questions now as there were for UNC when spring practices ended. It’s going to be an interesting camp for North Carolina.
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