Aug. 27, the North Carolina football coaches’ show will make its return. New head coach Bill Belichick will be on the first episode – but he won’t be the weekly headliner. Instead, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi will headline Carolina Football Live, the school announced Thursday. The show will still air at Top of the […]
Aug. 27, the North Carolina football coaches’ show will make its return. New head coach Bill Belichick will be on the first episode – but he won’t be the weekly headliner.
Instead, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi will headline Carolina Football Live, the school announced Thursday. The show will still air at Top of the Hill Restaurant & Brewery as host Jones Angell runs things.
Belichick will appear alongside Lombardi for the first episode of the show Aug. 27 ahead of the season opener against TCU. From there, the show will take a week off since the matchup is on a Monday, and it will return in its regular Monday slot Sept. 8 ahead of the game against Richmond.
Lombardi was Belichick’s first hire after he took over at North Carolina and he came from a radio and podcast background. Following his time working in the NFL, Lombardi was a contributor for Sports Illustrated and most recently worked for VSiN before joining Belichick in Chapel Hill. He also contributed to The Pat McAfee Show.
Lombardi and Belichick previously worked together in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots. A former NFL GM, Lombardi has three Super Bowl rings – one as a scout with the San Francisco 49ers and two with the New England Patriots as an assistant to the coaching staff.
Belichick’s arrival at North Carolina came after a Hall of Fame-caliber career in the NFL, where he made his biggest impact on the New England Patriots. He led the franchise to six Super Bowls with Tom Brady at quarterback before parting ways after the 2023 season. All told, Belichick had a 266-121 record with the Pats.
All eyes on Bill Belichick, UNC in 2025
Bill Belichick is currently going through his first training camp at North Carolina, and the season opener is set for Sept. 1 in primetime against TCU. Anticipation is building for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach’s debut at the college level, and ticket prices are soaring. ESPN also sees “potential” for boosted TV ratings similar to when Deion Sanders took over at Colorado in 2023.
“We have to wait and see. The potential is there,” said Kurt Dargis, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions, in an interview with Front Office Sports. “There’s definitely interest in him outside the typical college football fan.
“Deion was such a phenomenon. I still can’t believe some of the numbers we got that first year he was there. It’s too early to say.”
Category: General Sports
