Amid a turbulent stretch for the program, North Carolina finally had a Saturday without controversy taking center stage. The Tar Heels delivered a commanding 35-3 victory over East Tennessee State in Chapel Hill, providing a much-needed boost.
The result also gave head coach Bill Belichick a far more comfortable second home opener at UNC. A year earlier, during the early excitement surrounding the eight-time Super Bowl winner’s arrival, North Carolina was beaten by TCU.
Since then, however, the optimism surrounding Belichick’s tenure has been overshadowed by a series of unsettling developments. Mike Lombardi, a longtime Belichick associate and the highest-paid general manager in college football at $1.5 million annually, was placed on administrative leave in 2026 before resigning amid an investigation into his conduct.
At the same time, Belichick’s son, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, stepped away from the program for medical reasons that have not been fully explained. WRAL in Raleigh has reported that attorneys conducting the Lombardi inquiry questioned people about Steve’s alleged drug use, while sources also said investigators asked about possible sexual relationships involving assistant coaches and staff members.
Steve Belichick did not respond to WRAL’s requests for comment. UNC officials have declined to discuss details of the continuing investigation and did not respond to Our News Outlet’s request for comment.
On Saturday, though, the attention shifted back to football. With Bill Belichick’s 25-year-old girlfriend, Jordon, again watching from the stands, running back Demon June scored three rushing touchdowns and quarterback Billy Edwards connected for two more through the air.
Bill Belichick maintains a serious expression on the Chapel Hill sideline as North Carolina improves to 2-0
Jordon Hudson, left, watches from the sideline during the first quarter at Kenan Stadium
Dressed in white and Carolina blue, Hudson chats with a friend along the sideline during the game, a familiar spot for her in Chapel Hill last season
Hudson, wearing white and Carolina blue, was seen speaking with a friend on the sideline, where she frequently appeared during North Carolina games last season.
There was no shortage of positive action for her to follow during Saturday’s convincing performance.
June found the end zone on runs of 9, 6 and 1 yard as the Tar Heels opened the season 2-0 for the fourth time in five years.
‘Good to get that one today,’ Belichick said after. ‘It was a solid effort in all three phases.’
Edwards completed 15 of 20 passes for 244 yards, connecting with eight different receivers. Jelani Thurman had a team-high 71 yards receiving, including a 24-yard catch-and-run to open the scoring just 1:19 in.
‘He’s shown to have the ability to be a Swiss Army knife in terms of how we want to use him and how [offensive coordinator Bobby] Petrino and the offensive staff kind of schemes it up for him,’ Edwards said of Thurman, who had four catches for 94 yards in the season-opening win over TCU . ‘I expect him to continue to get better and continue to kind of evolve as a tight end in this offense.’
The mushroom Lombardi scandal has taken some of the spotlight off of Hudson in 2026
Demon June ran for touchdowns of 9, 6, and 1 yard for the Tar Heels on Saturday in Chapel Hill
Investigators are allegedly looking into explosive claims made against Belichick’s son, Steve
The University of North Carolina’s football GM Michael Lombardi has resigned
The Tar Heels allowed only 255 yards and forced two turnovers. They also registered four sacks, two apiece by Jaylen Harvey and Xavier Lewis.
After going three-and-out to open the game, North Carolina converted five of its next six drives for touchdowns. The second of those scores, a 26-yard swing pass to Benjamin Hall, capped a 10-play, 99-yard drive. That matched the team’s longest scoring drive since 2022 against Miami.
Mason Mims was 23-of-31 passing for 178 yards and one interception for ETSU (1-2).
North Carolina led 35-0 after three quarters before lightning delayed the game one hour and 19 minutes.
One of the Tar Heels’ scandals did poke its head above water on Saturday as UNC did not host any recruits for the home game.
North Carolina Tar Heels fans celebrate during the second half of the game in Chapel Hill
Jordan Shipp of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrates an interception with Gregory Smith III
North Carolina Tar Heels cheerleaders hold flags after a touchdown during the first half
In a statement, UNC spokesman Kevin Best said the Tar Heels aren’t allowed to host unofficial visits because of the violation. While hosting recruits on official visits was permitted, Best said the program decided ‘to concentrate our official visits on the remaining five home games.’
‘The situation has been properly resolved through the NCAA process, and we have worked with the NCAA and University compliance on appropriate and corrective action,’ he said.
The Tar Heels went 4-8 last year in Belichick’s first college season, marked by shaky play on the field and unwanted headlines off it, such as an assistant coach being briefly suspended for violating NCAA rules.
The Tar Heels (2-0) beat TCU in Ireland to open the year, and Saturday’s home opener comes against a Championship Subdivision opponent.
