UNC football program's greatest overreaction according to CBS Sports

[ASFN Admin]

Three months sit between the UNC football team and its first game of what hopes to be a much-improved season, with a TCU rematch at 12 p.m. on August 29 kicking 2026 off.

North Carolina's offense proved extremely lackluster in 2025, with inefficient quarterback play the primary reason. Demon June broke out and became a freshman star, but never earned consistent starting touches going forward.

In hopes of fixing their offense this fall, the Tar Heels hired former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino to be their offensive coordinator.

In CBS Sports' post-spring practice overreactions for ACC programs, Austin Nivision named Petrino bailing out Bill Belichick as his greatest overreaction.

"Coming off a disastrous first season in the college ranks, Belichick needs a big bounce-back in 2026," Nivision wrote. "The good news for Belichick is that the offense can't possibly get much worse. Last fall, North Carolina averaged 19.2 points per game, which ranked 120th nationally. That's why Belichick brought in Petrino to run that side of the ball, and he was the architect of some good offenses at Arkansas. Petrino will have to get more out of quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., whose 2025 season at Wisconsin was derailed by injury."

Edwards' best season came in 2024, when he threw for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns at Maryland. The Badgers struggled without Edwards for most of 2025, failing to reach a bowl game for the second straight season.

UNC returns June to its backfield, while Jordan Shipp and Trech Kekahuna look to form a 1-2 punch at wide receiver.

Regardless of who steps up, a more productive offense will lead to more wins. North Carolina had a solid pass-rush again last season, led by another breakout star in Melkart Abou-Jaoude, but pass-rush doesn't score points.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Bobby Petrino bailing out Bill Belichick a CBS Sports top overreaction

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