Insider ponders major question for Bill Belichick, UNC

The North Carolina Tar Heels are hoping Bill Belichick can turn them around. They've languished as a mediocre program that sometimes hits and has a good season. They want staying power in the ACC. Whether that'll happen in Year One remains to be seen. 

However, ESPN's David Hale listed them as part of the "sleepers" tier, indicating that they might surprise people with how good they can be. That comes with one major, definitive question mark, though. 

"This tier includes Deion Sanders and Bill Belichick so, for media purposes, it should probably be Tier 1. But there are still some big questions surrounding Colorado and UNC," Hale said. 

Belichick got to work quickly and overhauled the roster. It's a very different culmination of players than the previous Mack Brown regime had, and that had to be done through the portal. Belichick landed nearly three dozen players from other schools. 

Hale said, "Numerous coaches who spoke with ESPN said this spring was an incredibly shallow pool of talent. Can that actually translate to wins, or will 2025 be more about building a foundation than reviving the program?" 

Building through the portal has so far not been a truly winning strategy in college football. Champions are still really built through recruiting, which Belichick will do in the future. For now, it remains to be seen if the overhaul will lead to wins or not.