The Bill Belichick era is in full swing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are hoping their new head football coach can return them to national relevance.
UNC made bowl games in each year under former head coach Mack Brown, but only won once (2019 Military Bowl vs. Temple). North Carolina sported immense talent under Brown, most notably Sam Howell, Drake Maye and Omarion Hampton, but only one division title (2022 ACC Coastal) to show.
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The Tar Heels aren’t nationally-relevant on the football field yet, but Belichick is already attracting national attention. UNC was the talk of college football upon Belichick’s arrival, despite bowl season being in full swing.
North Carolina’s national attention includes a recent visitor to spring practice.
Lil’ Wayne, a 5-time Grammy Award-winning rapper known for songs like “Fireman,” visited the Tar Heels during their spring practice session on Saturday, April 5.
There’s no previous known connection between Weezy and the UNC football program, but his visit is pretty big news.
Lil’ Wayne isn’t a football recruiter by any means, at least not that I know of, but he’s a big name in the music industry. My hope is that young football players, whether in the transfer portal or coming out of high school, will choose North Carolina due to its newfound ability to bring in famous visitors.
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The Tar Heels will play their first game under Bill Belichick on Monday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. against TCU. How UNC performs in its season-opener will likely determine the direction of its season, which there’s plenty of anticipation and question marks about.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Lil’ Wayne pays Bill Belichick, UNC football program a visit April 5
