North Carolina football shook up the college football Richter scale by hiring Bill Belichick. The move sparked a flurry of reactions, as the Tar Heels somehow won over the six-time Super Bowl winner. But UNC is wasting little time making other big moves after the hire.
The university is adding former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi to the same position, per league insider Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. This means the new version of the Tar Heels will have heavy NFL representation.
Lombardi, 65, is familiar with Belichick. The two worked together from 2014 to 2016 with the New England Patriots. Lombardi served in an assistant to the coaching staff role. But he also collaborated with Belichick from 1993 to 1995 with the Cleveland Browns. Lombardi ran the director of player personnel position for a Browns team led by the future Super Bowl winning head coach.
Lombardi's previous GM role came in 2013. He was both the GM and team vice president. This also won't be his first collegiate job. Lombardi's first football related gig came via Nevada-Las Vegas. He worked as UNLV's recruiting coordinator from 1981 to 1984. Now, he'll soon help locate talent through the transfer portal once officially lured in by UNC.
North Carolina could pull off additional big move after Bill Belichick hire
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on the sidelines
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Belichick will soon think quickly about comprising his 2025 coaching staff at Chapel Hill. That includes figuring out who'll run the Tar Heels' offense. One name surfaced, per ESPN senior writer Chris Low.
“One possibility to join Bill Belichick at North Carolina as OC is Las Vegas Raiders interim OC Scott Turner, who started the season as the Raiders’ passing game coordinator and moved to interim OC when Luke Getsy was fired,” Low posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) “Turner is the son of NFL veteran Norv Turner.”
The 42-year-old Turner would become another rejoining the college ranks if brought in. Turner worked as an offensive analyst under Jim Harbaugh at Michigan in 2017.
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He also spent 2008 to 2010 at the University of Pittsburgh. Turner held the role of offensive assistant and wide receivers coach in 2010.
Like Lombardi, Turner's first football-related job came via the college realm. He worked as a graduate assistant for Oregon State in 2005. That was during a period Mike Riley coached the Beavers.
Lombardi and Turner are the only names already linked to the newest North Carolina head coach. Belichick becomes the school's 35th ever football head coach. He's taking over a program that went 6-6 under Mack Brown, ultimately firing him during the season.