2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	2–4 (0–2 ACC)
Head coach	Bill Belichick (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Freddie Kitchens (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Stephen Belichick (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–2–5
Home stadium	Kenan Stadium
Seasons ←  2024 2026 →

2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 Georgia Tech		4	–	0					7	–	0
No. 16 Virginia		3	–	0					6	–	1
SMU		3	–	0					5	–	2
Pittsburgh		3	–	1					5	–	2
Duke		3	–	1					4	–	3
No. 19 Louisville		2	–	1					5	–	1
California		2	–	1					5	–	2
Stanford		2	–	2					3	–	4
No. 9 Miami (FL)		1	–	1					5	–	1
Clemson		2	–	3					3	–	4
Wake Forest		1	–	2					4	–	2
NC State		1	–	2					4	–	3
Virginia Tech		1	–	2					2	–	5
Syracuse		1	–	3					3	–	4
North Carolina		0	–	2					2	–	4
Florida State		0	–	4					3	–	4
Boston College		0	–	4					1	–	6
Championship: December 6, 2025
As of October 20, 2025 Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tar Heels are led by first-year head coach Bill Belichick. The team plays their home games at Kenan Stadium.

Following the firing of head coach Mack Brown after six seasons in charge, ^[1] assistant Freddie Kitchens was elevated to interim head coach. ^[2]

On December 11, 2024, Bill Belichick, former head coach of the NFL's New England Patriots, was hired as the 35th head coach in North Carolina program history. ^[3]

Offseason

Coaching changes

After the conclusion of the 2024 season, the following changes were made to the Tar Heel football staff for the 2025 season.

Name	Position	Reason	Replacement
Mack Brown	Head coach	Dismissed	Bill Belichick
Chip Lindsey	Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach	Hired by Michigan	Freddie Kitchens Matt Lombardi
Randy Clements	Offensive line coach	Hired by TCU	Will Friend
Lonnie Galloway	Assistant head coach/Pass Game coordinator/Wide receivers coach	Hired by Clemson	Garrick McGee
Larry Porter	Special Teams coordinator/Running backs coach	Hired by West Virginia	Mike Priefer Natrone Means
Geoff Collins	Defensive coordinator	Dismissed	Stephen Belichick
Charlton Warren	Assistant head coach/Defensive backs coach	Hired by NC State	Brian Belichick
Tommy Thigpen	Co-defensive coordinator/Inside Linebackers coach	Dismissed	Jamie Collins
Ted Monachino	Defensive line coach	Hired by Maryland	Bob Diaco
Jason Jones	Cornerbacks coach	Hired by Alabama	Armond Hawkins
Clyde Christensen	Offensive Analyst	Hired by Appalachian State	N/A

^ Matt Lombardi will receive title of Quarterbacks coach, Kitchens' title will be solely Offensive Coordinator.
^ McGee's title will be solely Wide receivers coach.
^ Collins's title will be solely Inside Linebackers coach.

Departures

NFL draft

Main article: 2025 NFL draft

Transfers

Source: ^{[4] [5]}

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	New school
Eli Sutton	73	OT	6'7.5"	285	Brentwood, TN	Junior	Austin Peay
Jordan Louie	34	RB	6'0"	205	Lawrenceville, GA	Freshman	Coffeyville CC
Conner Harrell	15	QB	6'1"	191	Alabaster, AL	Sophomore	Charlotte
Andrew Rosinski	65	OT	6'6"	265	Ball Ground, GA	Freshman	Georgia Tech
Zach Greenberg	63	IOL	6'4"	290	Livingston, NJ	Graduate	James Madison
Travis Shaw	4	DL	6'5.5"	355	Greensboro, NC	Junior	Texas
Howard Sampson	79	OT	6'8"	330	Humble, TX	Sophomore	Texas Tech
Noah Burnette	98	K	5'10"	175	Raleigh, NC	Graduate	Notre Dame
Jakiah Leftwich	75	OT	6'6"	302	Atlanta, GA	Junior	UCF
Garrett Jordan	43	LS	6'0"	225	Waxhaw, NC	Junior	«»
Malik McGowan	64	IOL	6'3"	330	Charlotte, NC	Senior	UNLV
Tyrane Stewart	9	CB	6'0"	180	Osyka, MS	Junior	North Texas
Michael Merdinger	17	QB	6'1.5"	195	Deerfield Beach, FL	Freshman	Liberty
Ashton Woods	25	LB	6'3"	205	Marietta, GA	Freshman	West Virginia
Caleb LaVallee	34	LB	6'1"	205	Mableton, GA	Freshman	Florida State
DeAndre Boykins	16	CB	5'11"	210	Concord, NC	Senior	Oklahoma State
Jacolby Criswell	12	QB	6'0"	220	Morrilton, AR	Graduate	East Tennessee State
Zion Ferguson	8	CB	6'0"	165	Gainesville, GA	Freshman	Pittsburgh
Beau Atkinson	12	EDGE	6'6"	240	Raleigh, NC	Junior	Ohio State
Cade Law	55	LB	6'1"	225	Kingston Springs, TN	Sophomore	Memphis
Malaki Hamrick	24	LB	6'4"	205	Shelby, NC	Sophomore	«»
Crews Law	44	LB	6'1"	217	Nashville, TN	Freshman	Memphis
Zach Rice	55	OT	6'5"	290	Lynchburg, VA	Sophomore	Syracuse
Lucas Osada	97	K	6'1"	190	Woodberry Forest, VA	Freshman	Illinois
Gavin Blackwell	2	WR	6'0"	185	Monroe, NC	Junior	Florida State
Jaffer Murphy	-	K	6'1"	183	Marion, IA	Senior	UTSA
Christian Hamilton	7	WR	5'11"	167	Harrisburg, NC	Freshman	West Virginia
Joel Starlings	94	DL	6'5"	310	Richmond, VA	Freshman	Maryland
Julien Randolph	80	TE	6'5"	210	Ashburn, VA	Freshman	Austin Peay
Adam Samaha	-	K	6'0"	170	Ann Arbor, MI	Junior	Akron
Desmond Jackson	74	IOL	6'4"	285	Clemmons, NC	Freshman	Coastal Carolina
Blaine McClure	36	DB	6'1"	185	Greenwich, CT	Freshman	Vanderbilt
Cyrus Rogers	84	WR	5'11"	185	Raleigh, NC	Junior	«»
Liam Boyd	37	K	6'1"	200	Asheville, NC	Sophomore	Charlotte
CJ Murphy	47	LB	6'2"	240	Bryn Mawr, PA	Sophomore	«»
Grady Sherrill	85	WR	5'9"	180	Greensboro, NC	Sophomore	«»
Hudson Wilharm	19	QB	6'5"	195	Wilmington, NC	Freshman	NC State
Terry Nwabuisi-Ezeala	-	DL	6'2"	305	Rabun Gap, GA	Freshman	Vanderbilt
Hayes Galloway	77	IOL	6'4"	305	Concord, NC	Freshman	Clemson
Miles Gaddy	-	S	6'1"	175	Fuquay-Varina, NC	Sophomore	East Carolina
Amare Campbell	17	LB	5'11"	225	Manassas, VA	Junior	Penn State
Michael Short	30	LB	6'3"	218	Charlotte, NC	Sophomore	Wake Forest
Michael Hall	27	WR	6'0.5"	180	Eden, NC	Sophomore	«»
Grant Mills	61	LS	5'11"	210	Mooresville, NC	Freshman	Ohio State
Evan Haynes	-	WR	6'3"	185	Roswell, GA	Freshman	Georgia Tech
Jariel Cobb	-	RB	5'10"	185	Reidsville, NC	Freshman	Charlotte
Curtis Simpson	33	EDGE	6'3.5"	200	Kings Mountain, NC	Freshman	Charlotte
Ryan Ward	16	TE	6'4"	230	Rutherford, NJ	Freshman	West Virginia
Rodney Lora	92	DL	6'3"	295	Woodberry Forest, VA	Freshman	UCF

«» Indicates player has not yet enrolled at a new school.

Additions

Incoming transfers

Source: ^{[4] [5]}

Name	No.	Pos.	Height	Weight	Hometown	Year	Previous school
Christo Kelly	-	IOL	6'4"	305	Wilmette, IL	Senior	Holy Cross
Melkart Abou Jaoude	-	DL	6'5"	260	Newton, NJ	Junior	Delaware
Connor Cox	-	TE	6'5	225	Jacksonville, FL	Sophomore	South Carolina
Adam Samaha	-	K	6'0"	170	Ann Arbor, MI	Sophomore	Michigan
C.J. Mims	-	DL	6'3"	288	Vanceboro, NC	Sophomore	East Carolina
Miles McVay	-	IOL	6'6"	373	East Saint Louis, IL	Freshman	Alabama
Chad Lindberg	-	IOL	6'6"	325	League City, TX	Senior	Rice
Aziah Johnson	-	WR	6'2"	175	Richmond, VA	Freshman	Michigan State
Khmori House	-	LB	6'2"	210	Bellflower, CA	Freshman	Washington
William Boone	-	OT	6'6"	340	Conyers, GA	Junior	Prairie View A&M
Gavin Gibson	-	CB	5'11"	175	Mooresville, NC	Junior	East Carolina
Pryce Yates	-	EDGE	6'3"	240	San Antonio, TX	Junior	UConn
Coleman Bryson	-	S	6'2"	190	Rabun Gap, GA	Junior	Minnesota
Jason Robinson	-	WR	5'10"	145	San Juan Capistrano, CA	Freshman	Washington
Peyton Waters	-	S	6'2"	170	Los Angeles, CA	Freshman	Washington
Thaddeus Dixon	-	CB	6'0"	205	Paramount, CA	Senior	Washington
Daniel King	-	OT	6'5"	270	Cairo, GA	Senior	Troy
Jaffer Murphy	-	K	6'1"	183	Marion, IA	Junior	Lake Erie
Smith Vilbert	-	EDGE	6'6"	282	Montvale, NJ	Senior	Penn State
Mikai Gbayor	-	LB	6'2"	230	Irvington, NJ	Senior	Missouri
Adrian Wilson	-	WR	6'1"	170	Pflugerville, TX	Freshman	Colorado
Jacob Horvath	-	P	6'1"	190	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia	Sophomore	Eastern Illinois
Rece Verhoff	-	K	5'11"	189	Columbus Grove, OH	Junior	Marshall
Gio Lopez	-	QB	5'11.5"	233	Madison, AL	Sophomore	South Alabama
Benjamin Hall	-	RB	5'11"	224	Kennesaw, GA	Sophomore	Michigan
Dayton Sneed	-	WR	6'0"	196	Hermitage, TN	Freshman	Tennessee
Jordan Hall	-	OT	6'8"	336	Columbus, OH	Freshman	UAB
Joseph Mupoyi	-	EDGE	6'5"	261	Oakdale, CT	Freshman	Penn State
D'antre Robinson	-	DL	6'3.5"	315	Orlando, FL	Freshman	Florida
Isaiah Johnson	-	DL	6'2"	275	Chandler, AZ	Sophomore	Arizona
Gannon Burt	-	LS	6'1"	205	Fort Mill, SC	Freshman	Florida
Will O'Steen	-	OT	6'3"	230	Anniston, AL	Junior	Jacksonville State
Jakai Moore	-	IOL	6'6"	318	Nokesville, VA	Senior	South Carolina
Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins	-	S	5'10.5"	185	Tustin, CA	Freshman	UCLA

Recruiting class

Source: ^[6]

Main article: 2025 college football recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: #    247Sports: #    ESPN: #
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals commits". Rivals. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "ESPN commits". ESPN. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025. "247Sports commits". 247Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.

Personnel

Coaching staff

North Carolina Tar Heels coaches
Bill Belichick	Head coach	1st
Freddie Kitchens	Offensive coordinator	3rd
Will Friend	Offensive line coach	1st
Matt Lombardi	Quarterbacks coach	1st
Garrick McGee	Wide receivers coach	1st
Natrone Means	Running backs coach	5th
Caleb Pickrell	Offensive assistant	4th
Stephen Belichick	Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach	1st
Bob Diaco	Defensive line coach	1st
Brian Belichick	Defensive backs/safeties coach	1st
Armond Hawkins	Cornerbacks coach	1st
Jamie Collins	Inside linebackers coach	1st
Ty Nichols	Outside linebackers coach	1st
Mike Priefer	Special teams coordinator	1st
Billy Miller	Special teams assistant	1st
Brian Hess	Head strength and conditioning coach	7th
Brian Simmons	Senior advisor to head coach	2nd
Reference: [7]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 1	8:00 p.m.	TCU *	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	L 14–48	50,500
September 6	7:00 p.m.	at Charlotte *	Jerry Richardson Stadium Charlotte, NC	ESPN+	W 20–3	19,233
September 13	3:30 p.m.	Richmond *	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ACCN	W 41–6	50,500
September 20	3:30 p.m.	at UCF *	Acrisure Bounce House Orlando, FL	FOX	L 9–34	44,206
October 4	12:00 p.m.	Clemson	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	ESPN	L 10–38	50,500
October 17	10:30 p.m.	at California	California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA	ESPN	L 18–21	33,401
October 25	12:00 p.m.	No. 16 Virginia	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	ACCN
October 31	7:30 p.m.	at Syracuse	JMA Wireless Dome Syracuse, NY	ESPN
November 8		Stanford	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC
November 15		at Wake Forest	Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium Winston-Salem, NC (rivalry)
November 22		Duke	Kenan Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (Victory Bell)
November 29		at NC State	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC (rivalry)
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time Source: [8]

Game summaries

vs TCU

See also: 2025 TCU Horned Frogs football team

TCU Horned Frogs (0–0) at North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Horned Frogs	7	13	21	7	48
Tar Heels	7	0	7	0	14

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: September 1
• Game time: 8:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
• Game attendance: 50,500
• Referee: Kevin Mar
• TV announcers (ESPN): Rece Davis (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (10:55) North Carolina - Caleb Hood 8-yard run (Rece Verhoff kick), ( Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 3:59; North Carolina 7-0) (4:08) TCU - Jordan Dwyer 27-yard pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann kick), (Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:31; Tied 7-7) Second quarter (11:13) TCU - Kyle Lemmermann 32-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 6:24; TCU 10-7) (3:57) TCU - Bud Clark 25-yard interception return (Kyle Lemmermann kick), (TCU 17-7) (0:00) TCU - Kyle Lemmermann 33-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 0:53; TCU 20-7) Third quarter (14:48) TCU - Kevorian Barnes 75-yard run (Kyle Lemmermann kick), (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:12; TCU 27-7) (8:30) TCU - Trent Battle 28-yard run (Kyle Lemmermann kick), (Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 3:59; TCU 34-7) (6:56) TCU - Devean Deal 37-yard fumble return (Kyle Lemmermann kick) (TCU 41-7) (0:29) North Carolina - Jake Johnson 2-yard pass from Max Johnson (Rece Verhoff kick), (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 6:22; TCU 41-14) Fourth quarter (9:21) TCU - DJ Rogers 4-yard pass from Josh Hoover (Kyle Lemmermann kick), (Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:26; TCU 48-14)

Statistics	TCU	UNC
First downs	29	10
Plays–yards	72–542	49–222
Rushes–yards	35–258	28–50
Passing yards	284	172
Passing: comp–att–int	27-37-1	13-21-1
Turnovers	1	3
Time of possession	32:09	27:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
TCU	Passing	Josh Hoover	27/36, 284 yards, 2 TD, INT
	Rushing	Kevorian Barnes	11 carries, 113 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Dwyer	9 receptions, 136 yards, TD
North Carolina	Passing	Max Johnson	9/11, 103 yards, TD
	Rushing	Caleb Hood	10 carries, 31 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	4 receptions, 84 yards

at Charlotte

See also: 2025 Charlotte 49ers football team

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–1) at Charlotte 49ers (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	10	7	0	3	20
49ers	0	3	0	0	3

at Jerry Richardson Stadium • Charlotte, North Carolina

• Date: September 6
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 74 °F (23 °C) • Wind: E at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 19,233
• Referee: Adam Savoie
• TV announcers (ESPN+): Chuckie Kempf (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst) and Marilyn Payne (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (14:01) UNC – Chris Culliver 51-yard pass from Gio Lopez, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:59; North Carolina 7–0) (8:34) UNC – Rece Verhoff 49-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:44; North Carolina 10–0) Second quarter (12:40) CLT – Liam Boyd 39-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:27; North Carolina 10–3) (0:13) UNC – Davion Gause 12-yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 2:38; North Carolina 17–3) Third quarter No scoring plays Fourth quarter (10:46) UNC – Rece Verhoff 33-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 40 yards, 8:08; North Carolina 20–3)

Statistics	UNC	CLT
First downs	15	21
Plays–yards	58–303	71–271
Rushes–yards	33–148	29–21
Passing yards	155	250
Passing: comp–att–int	17–25–0	25–42–2
Turnovers	0	2
Time of possession	29:38	30:22

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	17/25, 155 yards, TD
	Rushing	Demon June	9 carries, 52 yards
	Receiving	Chris Culliver	3 receptions, 74 yards, TD
Charlotte	Passing	Conner Harrell	17/29, 140 yards
	Rushing	Rod Gainey Jr.	6 carries, 15 yards
	Receiving	Javen Nicholas	11 receptions, 122 yards

vs Richmond (FCS)

See also: 2025 Richmond Spiders football team

Richmond Spiders (FCS) (1–1) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Spiders (FCS)	0	3	0	3	6
Tar Heels	10	10	7	14	41

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: September 13
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
• Game attendance: 50,500
• Referee: John Noli
• TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Kendra Douglas (sideline)

Game information

First Quarter (9:57) UNC - Rece Verhoff 27-yard field goal (Drive: 7 Plays, 58 yards, 2:39; UNC 3–0) (3:22) UNC - Gio Lopez 29-yard pass to Jordan Shipp, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 8 Plays, 62 yards, 4:05; UNC 10–0) Second Quarter (14:51) UNC - Rece Verhoff 22-yard field goal (Drive: 5 Plays, 21 yards, 1:45; UNC 13–0) (10:01) UNC - Gio Lopez 1-yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 7 Plays, 36 yards, 2:39; UNC 20–0) (1:11) RICH - Jayden Alsheskie 25-yard field goal (Drive: 14 Plays, 76 yards, 8:42; UNC 20–3) Third Quarter (2:06) UNC - Gio Lopez 3-yard pass to Jordan Shipp, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 7 Plays, 34 yards, 3:21; UNC 27–3) Fourth Quarter (14:00) UNC - Mikai Gbayor 62-yard fumble recovery, Rece Verhoff kick (UNC 34–3) (8:13) UNC - Demon June 45-yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 7 Plays, 72 yards, 4:06; UNC 41–3) (0:06) RICH - Jayden Alsheskie 28-yard field goal (Drive: 15 Plays, 68 yards, 7:48; UNC 41–6)

Statistics	RICH	UNC
First downs	15	16
Plays–yards	63–199	50–312
Rushes–yards	48–124	31–193
Passing yards	75	119
Passing: comp–att–int	9–15–1	10–19–1
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	37:59	22:01

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Richmond	Passing	Kyle Wickersham	6/8, 47 yards
	Rushing	Aziz Foster-Powell	12 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Isaiah Dawson	2 receptions, 37 yards
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	10/18, 119 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Demon June	14 carries, 148 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	4 receptions, 52 yards, 2 TD

at UCF

See also: 2025 UCF Knights football team

North Carolina Tar Heels (2–1) at UCF Knights (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	0	3	6	0	9
Knights	10	10	7	7	34

at Acrisure Bounce House • Orlando, Florida

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 3:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: SW 10 mph
• Game attendance: 44,206
• Referee: Nate Black
• TV announcers (FOX): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Game information

First quarter UCF – Tayven Jackson 13-yard run (Noe Ruelas kick), 8:23, Knights 7–0. 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:37. UCF – Noe Ruelas 36-yard field goal, 4:51, Knights 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:26. Second quarter UCF – Noe Ruelas 41-yard field goal, 10:03, Knights 13–0. Drive: 14 plays, 42 yards, 7:44. UNC – Rece Verhoff 40-yard field goal, 1:23, Knights 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 1:48. UCF – Kylan Fox 17-yard pass from Tayven Jackson (Noe Ruelas kick), 0:13, Knights 20–3. 6 plays, 83 yards, 1:04. Third quarter UCF – Myles Montgomery 1-yard run (Noe Ruelas kick), 9:51, Knights 27–3. 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:57. UNC – Kobe Paysour 8-yard pass from Max Johnson (pass failed), 1:06, Knights 27–9. 19 plays, 80 yards, 8:40. Fourth quarter UCF – Jaden Nixon 5-yard run (Noe Ruelas kick), 1:54, Knights 34–9. 18 plays, 93 yards, 10:26.

Statistics	UNC	UCF
First downs	14	23
Plays–yards	58–217	66–366
Rushes–yards	25–63	34–143
Passing yards	154	223
Passing: comp–att–int	22–32–2	25–32–0
Turnovers	2	0
Time of possession	26:13	33:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	11/14, 87 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Demon June	10 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	3 receptions, 44 yards
UCF	Passing	Tayven Jackson	25/32, 223 yards, TD
	Rushing	Tayven Jackson	10 carries, 66 yards, TD
	Receiving	Dylan Wade	5 receptions, 47 yards

vs Clemson

See also: 2025 Clemson Tigers football team

Clemson Tigers (1–3) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (2–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	28	7	0	3	38
Tar Heels	3	0	0	7	10

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: October 4
• Game time: 12:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 71 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NE 5 mph • Weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 50,500
• Referee: Adam Savoie
• TV announcers (ESPN): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (14:49) CLEM – T. J. Moore 75-yard pass from Antonio Williams, Nolan Hauser kick (Drive: 1 play, 75 yards, 0:11; CLEM 7–0) (10:02) UNC – Rece Verhoff 35 yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:39; CLEM 7–3) (08:54) CLEM – Adam Randall 35-yard pass from Cade Klubnik, Hauser kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:08; CLEM 14–3) (04:15) CLEM – Christian Bentancur 45-yard pass from Klubnik, Hauser kick (Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:48; CLEM 21–3) (00:01) CLEM – Randall 23-yard pass from Klubnik, Hauser kick (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:54; CLEM 28–3) Second quarter (2:02) CLEM – Bentancur 8-yard pass from Klubnik, Hauser kick (Drive: 6 plays, 37 yards, 3:16; CLEM 35–3) Third quarter None Fourth quarter (13:20) CLEM – Hauser 27 yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 5:20; CLEM 38–3) (10:25) UNC – Benjamin Hall 11 yard rush, Verhoff kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:55; CLEM 38–10)

Statistics	CLEM	UNC
First downs	23	19
Plays–yards	70–488	60–270
Rushes–yards	31–89	18–57
Passing yards	399	213
Passing: comp–att–int	30–39–0	26–42–0
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	32:25	27:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Clemson	Passing	Cade Klubnik	22/24, 254 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Adam Randall	8 carries, 30 yards
	Receiving	T. J. Moore	5 receptions, 108 yards, TD
North Carolina	Passing	Max Johnson	26/42, 21 yards
	Rushing	Benjamin Hall	5 carries, 24 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jordan Shipp	5 receptions, 41 yards

at California

See also: 2025 California Golden Bears football team

North Carolina Tar Heels (2–3) at California Golden Bears (4–2) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tar Heels	7	3	0	8	18
Golden Bears	14	0	7	0	21

at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California

• Date: October 17
• Game time: 10:30 p.m.
• Game weather: Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NW at 2 miles per hour (3.2 km/h) • Weather: Clear
• Game attendance: 33,401
• Referee: Jon Noli
• TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst) and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (12:48) CAL – Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele 3-yard run, Chase Meyer kick (Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 1:50; California 7–0) (4:48) UNC – Benjamin Hall 18-yard run, Rece Verhoff kick (Drive: 4 plays, 70 yards, 1:15; Tied 7–7) (0:42) CAL – Jacob De Jesus 7-yard pass from Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, Chase Meyer kick (Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:06; California 14–7) Second quarter (6:14) UNC – Rece Verhoff 41-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 5:37; California 14–10) Third quarter (9:22) CAL – Kendrick Raphael 2-yard run, Chase Meyer kick (Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 5:33; California 21–10) Fourth quarter (12:14) UNC – Davion Gause 4-yard run, Benjamin Hall pass (Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 4:45; California 21–18)

Statistics	UNC	CAL
First downs	18	19
Plays–yards	64–287	71–294
Rushes–yards	29–120	31–80
Passing yards	167	214
Passing: comp–att–int	19–35–0	22–40–0
Turnovers	3	0
Time of possession	31:10	25:50

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing	Gio Lopez	19/35, 167 yards
	Rushing	Benjamin Hall	14 carries, 68 yards, TD
	Receiving	Kobe Paysour	6 receptions, 101 yards
California	Passing	Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele	21/39, 209 yards, TD
	Rushing	Kendrick Raphael	22 carries, 81 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jacob de Jesus	13 receptions, 105 yards, TD

vs No. 16 Virginia (South's Oldest Rivalry)

See also: 2025 Virginia Cavaliers football team and South's Oldest Rivalry

No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers (6–1) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (2–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
No. 16 Cavaliers			0
Tar Heels			0

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: October 25
• Game time:  
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Steve Addazio (analyst), and Dana Boyle (sideline)

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UVA	UNC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Virginia	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Syracuse

See also: 2025 Syracuse Orange football team

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) at Syracuse Orange (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Tar Heels			0
Orange			0

at JMA Wireless Dome • Syracuse, New York

• Date: October 31
• Game time: 7:30 p.m.
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers (ESPN):  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNC	SYR
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Syracuse	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Stanford

See also: 2025 Stanford Cardinal football team

Stanford Cardinal (0–0) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Cardinal			0
Tar Heels			0

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: November 8
• Game time:  
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	STAN	UNC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Stanford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Wake Forest (rivalry)

See also: 2025 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team, North Carolina–Wake Forest football rivalry, and Tobacco Road (rivalry) § Football

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Tar Heels			0
Demon Deacons			0

at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium • Winston-Salem, North Carolina

• Date: November 15
• Game time:  
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNC	WAKE
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Wake Forest	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

vs Duke (Victory Bell)

See also: 2025 Duke Blue Devils football team, Victory Bell (Duke–North Carolina), and Tobacco Road (rivalry) § Football

Duke Blue Devils (0–0) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Blue Devils			0
Tar Heels			0

at Kenan Stadium • Chapel Hill, North Carolina

• Date: November 22
• Game time:  
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	DUKE	UNC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Duke	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at NC State (rivalry)

See also: 2025 NC State Wolfpack football team, North Carolina–NC State football rivalry, and Tobacco Road (rivalry) § Football

North Carolina Tar Heels (0–0) at NC State Wolfpack (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Tar Heels			0
Wolfpack			0

at Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina

• Date: November 29
• Game time:  
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV announcers ( ):  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UNC	NCSU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Turnovers
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
North Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
NC State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

1. Myerberg, Paul (November 26, 2024). "Mack Brown out as North Carolina football coach during sixth season of second tenure at school". USA Today . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
2. Adelson, Andrea (December 1, 2024). "Freddie Kitchens named interim head coach at North Carolina". ESPN.com . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
3. Geagan, Matt (December 11, 2024). "Bill Belichick reaches deal to coach the North Carolina Tar Heels". CBS News . Retrieved December 12, 2024.
4. "North Carolina 2025 Football Transfer Portal". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
5. "North Carolina Football Transfer Portal". on3.com. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
6. "North Carolina 2025 Football Commits". 247 Sports. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
7. "Football Coaches". University of North Carolina Athletics.
8. "2025 North Carolina Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.