The North Carolina Tar Heels will be without defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the son of eight-time Super Bowl champion and UNC head coach Bill Belichick, for Saturday’s season opener with TCU in Dublin, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The younger Belichick has missed fall camp on “indefinite medical leave,” since the start of August, On3 reports.
UNC has played its Steve Belichick situation close to the vest, with little information available outside of Bill Belichick’s Aug. 6 statement sharing the news of his medical leave and that his staff would “collectively” lead the defense through camp.
Now, that situation has lapsed over into Week 1, as the Horned Frogs, finishing 9-4 overall and No. 25 in the AP Poll, look to defend last year’s victory in a big-time showcase in Ireland. UNC, on the other hand, is looking to make drastic improvements from a 4-8 start to the Belichick era.
After a coaching career in the NFL, Steve Belichick followed his father to North Carolina after coaching defense and linebackers for one season at Washington. Together, Bill and his son, Steve, won three Super Bowls together in 2014, 2016 and 2018.
