Changes have commenced at Chapel Hill.
Head coach Bill Belichick made a major move on Monday when he hired former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino as his new offensive coordinator, according to multiple reports, replacing Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after a 4-8 season.
Belichick is looking to reshape his staff after a disastrous first season at North Carolina, and Petrino is his first big hire for the 2026 squad.
Petrino, 64, a longtime college and NFL coach, was fired as the Razorbacks’ head coach in 2012 when he was involved in a motorcycle accident with a female athletic department employee, Jessica Dorrell, 25 at the time, also on the back of the vehicle with him.
It was later revealed that Petrino was having an extramarital affair with Dorrell.
He has bounced around the college ranks since then, with short-lived stints as head coach at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State.
Petrino, also took over as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator in 2024, and in 2025, he was named interim coach after Arkansas fired Sam Pittman midseason.
The Razorbacks finished the season with a 2-10 record, including 0-7 with Petrino as the interim coach.
North Carolina’s offense will need some serious help next season, as sophomore quarterback Gio Lopez led the Tar Heels to a terrible 19.3 points per game, 121st in the nation, in Belichick’s first season with the program.
It is possible that Lopez is not retained as a starter, as Belichick has been on the recruiting trail, bringing in four-star freshman Travis Burgess to compete for the starting job.
Players can begin transferring to other schools beginning Jan. 2 and it remains to be seen how much cache that Belichick still holds in order to land big talent at the college level.
Top high school receiver Keeyun Chapman signed with North Carolina this summer and could be a contributor this season if Belichick strikes out in the transfer portal.
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