\n<\/p>\n
Instead, Clemson visits North Carolina<\/a> in a matchup of ACC teams with a combined 3-5 record \u2014 2-5 if you count only games against Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Make that 0-5 if we\u2019re talking about only games against Power 4 opponents.<\/p>\n At Clemson, coach Dabo Swinney has been defending his record and trying to explain how a team loaded with players from last year\u2019s conference champion has regressed.<\/p>\n At North Carolina, six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick appears to have simply assembled a poor roster.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I think they miscalculated is with the way they were taking (players) in the portal and paying dudes,\u201d said one Group of 5 head coach, granted anonymity to discuss his encounters with the Tar Heels in the offseason player acquisition cycle. \u201cIt made me wonder, did they actually understand the landscape they were in? Did they understand that they\u2019re in the ACC, not like Conference USA or the Sun Belt? Like, we got beat by North Carolina on a bunch of kids. I was like, why the f\u2014 is North Carolina beating us on kids? When I keep running up against the same P4s over and over again in recruiting, I\u2019m like, all right, they\u2019re gonna suck.\u201d<\/p>\n Belichick, 73, inherited a program that had won 23 games in the previous three years under Mack Brown. His first college roster has about 70 new players, between transfer portal additions (41) and a freshman signing class.<\/p>\n The sheer size of the portal class pushed it to be ranked ninth in the country by 247Sports, with seven four-star players. The results haven\u2019t been there. Two of UNC\u2019s most impactful transfers, linebacker Kimori House (second on the team in tackles) and cornerback Thaddeus Dixon (tied for the team lead with three passes broken up), followed Belichick\u2019s son Steve from Washington, where he had been the defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n The Tar Heels opened the season with a 48-14 loss at home to TCU<\/a>. They picked up victories against Football Championship Subdivision Richmond and Charlotte, which is 0-3 against FBS competition. The next real test for UNC came at UCF, which is also in the first year of a new regime. Coach Scott Frost\u2019s Knights dominated North Carolina 34-9.<\/p>\n The UCF game was filled with Tar Heel mistakes. They couldn\u2019t tackle. They had coverage busts. They couldn\u2019t run the ball and got lit up by a team playing with its backup quarterback.<\/p>\n Now, Clemson comes to town looking for a get-right game.<\/p>\n UNC ranks last in the ACC in yards per play (4.90) and second-to-last in yards per play allowed when facing Power 4 opposition (6.58). North Carolina ranks No. 121 in the country in yards per play and 108th in third-down conversion rate at under 35 percent.<\/p>\n On the bright side, the Tar Heels have the No. 17 high school recruiting class for 2026, though again, volume is helping. UNC has 37 commits, led by four-star quarterback Travis Burgess, the No. 65 overall prospect in the class of 2026.<\/p>\n The most celebrated defensive player in the country entering this season was Ohio State safety Caleb Downs<\/a>, an All-American and leader on last year\u2019s national champions.<\/p>\n The Buckeyes (4-0) are again No. 1 in the country, and Downs has 15 tackles and an interception for one of the stingiest defenses in the country. Ohio State is allowing 5.5 points per game.<\/p>\n However, some coaches who have faced Ohio State say Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese is surpassing Downs as the most valuable of the Silver Bullets.<\/p>\n \u201c(No. 8) is their best player on that defense,\u201d said one offensive coach, granted anonymity to speak candidly about an opponent.<\/p>\n The 6-4, 243-pound Reese is tied for the team lead in tackles with 25, with two sacks and a team-best two passes broken up. The junior\u2019s stat line doesn\u2019t present the whole picture.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is a super freak, and he\u2019s not just an athletic freak,\u201d the coach said. \u201cThey ask him to do a lot. I think if you replaced him with an average player, they\u2019d be in some trouble. If you replaced Caleb Downs with an average player, they\u2019d be fine. (Reese) is a hybrid body, who is long, rangy and explosive. He is smart enough and he can cover, blitz and hold up against linemen, can cover tight ends, can cover backs. He\u2019s playing their \u2018adjustor\u2019 position, so he rushes as a down lineman in pass-rush situations. He\u2019s just really impressive.\u201d<\/p>\n The number of official FBS head coaching vacancies is now six<\/a> with the firing of Sam Pittman by Arkansas last Sunday.<\/a> Five of the six open jobs are in Power 4 conferences: Stanford, UCLA, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State are the other P4 openings, and Kent State is playing under interim Mark Carney after firing Kenni Burns this spring after an investigation into ethics concerns<\/a>.<\/p>\n All the P4 programs looking for coaches have a history of success, but none would be considered blue bloods. In a sense, all are searching for the right formula to return to winning ways.<\/p>\n In speaking to industry sources, all these schools are facing more than a search for their next coach. They\u2019re trying to develop a strategy for how the football program and to some degree the athletic department should be run going forward.<\/p>\n A big part of that is investment. Virginia Tech has announced a plan to dramatically increase the funding of its athletic department. The school\u2019s board of visitors approved a plan this week to add $229 million to the athletic budget over the next four years.<\/p>\n One way or another, every school is looking for more money and a plan to present to prospective coaching candidates on how that money will be spent in the era of revenue sharing and name, image and likeness deals.<\/p>\n Then there is the org chart. Even schools with head coaches locked in have been adding general managers, personnel staffers with knowledge in salary cap and contract management.<\/p>\n There are real questions in the business about who exactly is going to be hiring new coaches at some of these schools and to whom the coach will be reporting.<\/p>\n The question that schools are facing: Do they want a general manager who works with the coach or for the coach, or do they want a structure in which the coach works for the GM?<\/p>\n Stanford became the first school to clearly put the GM in charge of the coach when it hired former star quarterback Andrew Luck for that role<\/a>. Luck\u2019s former NFL coach, Frank Reich, is working as interim coach at Stanford but is not expected to stay beyond this season.<\/p>\n If other schools want to follow that model, the best time to do it is when hiring a new coach. How many coaches would go for that?<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re an assistant coach and you have a shot at a $6-7 million a year job, are you going to say no?\u201d one industry source said.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re a sitting head coach with a good situation, having to report to a GM or having a GM with as much or maybe even more control of personnel might not sound so great.<\/p>\n A Power 4 assistant coach who has spent time in the NFL said that although colleges might want to implement a professional-style front office structure, they\u2019d be jamming a square peg into a round hole.<\/p>\n \u201cNFL teams have owners,\u201d the coach said. \u201cThere is a boss at the top who hires a GM, and the GM hires the coach.\u201d<\/p>\n During a coaching cycle that promises to be very active, how schools approach their hires could be as interesting as who they hire.<\/p>\n Ty Simpson had only thrown 50 passes in his first three seasons at Alabama. The former five-star recruit was part of the Tide\u2019s 2022 class that ranked No. 2 in the country. Only four other members of that class (Jihaad Campbell, Tyler Booker, Jam Miller and Danny Lewis) didn\u2019t transfer out. Kalen DeBoer and the Crimson Tide are no doubt thrilled Simpson stuck it out.<\/p>\n Simpson has thrown 11 touchdowns and zero interceptions through four games. He\u2019s completing over 69 percent of his passes and has helped the Tide convert on 55 percent of third downs.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a guy that is very poised,\u201d said a defensive backs coach who has faced Alabama this year. \u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of control at the line of scrimmage. They put a lot on his plate as far as checking plays and getting them into the right stuff. They checked a lot against us. He has really good accuracy and he\u2019s a way better athlete than people give him credit for. He can extend plays, evade rushers and tuck the ball for 20. He can definitely do some stuff. He\u2019s a really good quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n Simpson seems to be working well with new Alabama offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who reunited with DeBoer this offseason. Grubb ran the offense under DeBoer at Washington in 2023 when quarterback Michael Penix Jr. took the Huskies to the College Football Playoff title game.<\/p>\n The rival coach who played Alabama earlier this season said Grubb has really opened up the offense.<\/p>\n \u201cHe definitely wants to push the ball more vertically, down the field, with deep intermediate routes,\u201d the coach said. \u201cIt\u2019s more like they\u2019re gonna throw to set up the run.\u201d<\/p>\n The Tide sit No. 99 in the country in yards per carry, down from No. 49 last year. It might not seem plausible that Alabama could compete for a national title running the ball like that, but it\u2019s worth noting that DeBoer\u2019s 2023 Washington team finished 65th in the country in yards per carry.<\/p>\n Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin had one of the most talented teams in school history last year, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart, one of two first-round NFL Draft picks along with defensive tackle Walter Nolen.<\/p>\n Ole Miss had five players selected in the first 77 picks, and three more Rebels were picked on the third day. Despite all of that talent, Ole Miss finished 9-3, with losses to Kentucky and Florida keeping the Rebels out of the CFP.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s team appears primed to make another run at Playoff contention behind an unlikely budding star. Ferris State transfer quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has stepped in for the injured Austin Simmons, and the Ole Miss offense is as explosive as ever. The No. 4 Rebels lead the nation in plays of 20-plus yards (38) and are third in the SEC in yards per play at 7.06.<\/p>\n The 6-1, 200-pound Chambliss led Ferris State to a Division II national title last year, throwing 26 touchdown passes and running for 25 scores. For the Rebels, he has thrown for over 300 yards in each of his three starts, including last week\u2019s 24-19 victory against LSU, adding 245 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in those games.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Trinidad Chambliss in there, they\u2019re damn good on offense,\u201d said one rival head coach. \u201cTheir O-line is average. But Chambliss is really crafty. The Simmons kid probably has a bigger arm. He\u2019ll probably wow you with how he throws it (in routes) on air. Chambliss has just got moxie. He\u2019s got enough arm talent. He throws a really catchable ball. He\u2019s probably 4.6-something (speed). He gets to top speed fast though, and he\u2019s got good short-area quickness. He is very sudden. He\u2019s a pain in the ass to play.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Ole Miss is real. I think this version of Ole Miss plays harder and with more of an edge than they did last year. They don\u2019t have any Walter Nolen or anybody like that, but they\u2019re playing with a chip on their shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n Virginia has been one of the best stories of the season\u2019s first month. Head coach Tony Elliott, who entered the year on the hot seat, has led the Cavaliers to a 4-1 start, including a 46-38 overtime win over Florida State. Virginia is up to No. 4 in the ACC in yards per play after finishing 14th last year and is No. 2 in third-down offense, up from No. 15.<\/p>\n Quarterback Chandler Morris, a sixth-year senior who began his career at Oklahoma in 2020 before going to TCU and then North Texas, epitomizes one of the most seasoned teams in college football. Against Florida State, the Cavaliers started eight players on offense who have already graduated, and the other three starters were seniors. They started five more graduates on defense.<\/p>\n \u201cIt all starts with their maturity,\u201d a rival defensive coordinator told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cThey are damn near all graduates, so they have all these old veterans. It\u2019s actually pretty cool. They\u2019ve taken all their licks and wounds early, and now they get to whip up on people. Those guys on offense, they execute. They have an identity and they play really confident football. It all starts with Morris. He makes a lot of off-script plays. He\u2019s seen it all. He knows where they want to go with the ball, and if that\u2019s not open and this isn\u2019t open, he knows how to run around and make plays. He throws it just OK. But he\u2019s just so savvy.\u201d<\/p>\n J\u2019Mari Taylor, a grad transfer from North Carolina Central, has emerged as one of the best running backs in the ACC. \u201cHe\u2019s a big-time back,\u201d said the defensive coordinator. \u201cHe\u2019s not that big, not that fast, but you are not gonna bring him down on first contact. He sets up his blocks well. He\u2019s physical and really runs behind his pads.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMorris runs the show and does a damn good job, but it\u2019s Taylor\u2019s toughness and running style that is really the identity of UVA\u2019s offense,\u201d said another DC. \u201cIt\u2019s also an offense that can throw different wrinkles at you to force you into making mistakes with tempo, Wildcat, unbalanced formations, and they have no holes or suspect areas on this offense for you to try and exploit.\u201d<\/p>\n (Photo: Jared C. Tilton \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n There was supposed to be a big game in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday. Instead, Clemson visits North Carolina in a matchup of ACC teams with a combined 3-5 record \u2014 2-5 if you count only games against Football Bowl Subdivision schools. Make that 0-5 if we\u2019re talking about only games against Power 4 opponents. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Where-did-Bill-Belichicks-UNC-roster-go-wrong-What-were.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5014"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5014\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5016,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5014\/revisions\/5016"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jubi24.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Better than Caleb Downs?<\/h2>\n
CFB\u2019s new org charts<\/h2>\n
Ty Simpson\u2019s development<\/h2>\n
Less talent, better team?<\/h2>\n
Virginia veterans<\/h2>\n
\n
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