Bill Belichick is energized by Bobby Petrino’s arrival as North Carolina looks to transform its offense this spring. Petrino, the program’s biggest offseason addition, brings a tempo-driven spread system built on explosive plays and quarterback development — elements Belichick said mirror aspects of his success with the New England Patriots.

“We’ve had a pretty easy time getting on the same page,” Belichick said during the Tar Heels spring football press conference. “We just weren’t able to really get there last year for a number of reasons. This year, we’re much further ahead in that process. Bobby comes with a ton of experience and has had great production everywhere he’s been. He’s been great to work with and he’s got a great grasp of offensive football.

“I’d say it’s going to be similar to the relationship I had with Josh McDaniels as an offensive coordinator, where they’re calling it, they’re running it, but there’s certain things we’re going to collaborate on and that’s where it’ll be.”

Belichick said the program was “late” last spring in several key areas — including recruiting and the transfer portal — following his December 2025 arrival. North Carolina is better positioned this spring, with 20 transfers and more than two dozen early enrollees from the 2026 signing class helping establish depth.

Belichick moved on from offensive play-caller Freddie Kitchens after a 4-8 finish, much of it tied to offensive struggles. The Tar Heels averaged 290.9 yards per game, fifth-worst nationally, and scored 22 offensive touchdowns, the fewest in the ACC.

A former head coach at Arkansas, Petrino returned to Arkansas in 2024 after a season at Texas A&M under Jimbo Fisher. He briefly served as interim coach last season after the Razorbacks parted ways with Sam Pittman.

“Bobby will run it and call it. I’d say foundationally, a lot of (the same) things that Bobby did at Arkansas or even going back to Louisville,” Belichick said. “I’ve known Bobby for a long time. Several of our coaches have worked for him… But yeah, I’ve known him for a long time. I think that some of the things that he did are similar to what we did at New England, so the merger of those really is … they’re not the same, but there’s definitely similarities and concepts and so forth.”

North Carolina developing QBs this spring

Redshirt freshman Au’Tori Newkirk is North Carolina’s only returning quarterback, joined by transfers Billy Edwards Jr. (Wisconsin), Miles O’Neill (Texas A&M) and Taron Dickens (Western Carolina).

Dickens will not arrive in Chapel Hill until June, after transferring following the start of the spring semester. He finished runner-up for the Walter Payton Award after throwing for 3,508 yards, 38 touchdowns and two interceptions in nine starts with a 74.2% completion rate.

Freshman Travis Burgess is also in the mix, though he is likely to redshirt after suffering a season-ending knee injury last August. Belichick said the four-star signee is “coming along” and will continue to be evaluated.

“They’re all a little bit different,” Belichick said of his quarterbacks. “Miles had an outstanding high school career at the Hun School (Massachusetts), went to Texas A&M. He didn’t get a lot of playing time there, and he got an opportunity here. Billy Edwards has played a lot. He had a really good year at Maryland (in 2024).

“Similar to Max Johnson, was hurt early in the season last year like Max was in (2024), so this is his extra year. He’s excited to start here and we’ll see what that brings. And then Tori, with a year under his belt after a good freshman season — Tori didn’t get here until June last year. He was a little bit behind from that standpoint, but he’s worked hard and caught up and he’ll be competitive as well.”

Petrino will look to elevate the quarterback room after developing Taylen Green at Arkansas. Green was an explosive playmaker in Petrino’s s scheme, highlighted by a six-touchdown game against Mississippi State in 2024 and a five-touchdown performance in a 45-42 loss to Texas A&M.

Green later impressed at the NFL Combine with record-setting marks in the vertical and broad jumps, along with a 4.36-second 40-yard dash — the second-fastest time ever recorded by a quarterback, trailing only Michael Vick.

When evaluating candidates for offensive coordinator, Belichick said Petrino stood out across the board.

“In the end, best fit,” Belichick said. “He’s very good at all of (the factors). Lot of production, lot of success. Systems are similar. Good fit, good hire for us.”