3 potential offensive coordinator candidates for the UNC Football program

On Friday morning, UNC Football fans got the news they had been waiting nearly two weeks for (some longer, hoping it would happen during the season). Bill Belichick and the program finally announced that they would be moving on from Freddie Kitchens as the offensive coordinator.

And naturally, when you move on from a coach, the first question is, "Who are they going to get to replace him that is better?"

Well in this case, it won't be hard to be better than the 2025 offense as there is basically nowhere to go but up. The real question becomes: Who are the potential candidates, and who can help elevate the offense to a status that turns the UNC Football program around in 2026?

There are rumors that Belichick and North Carolina waited so long to announce the firing of Kitchens because a decision on who the next offensive coordinator has already been made. That information isn't available to us yet, so we're going to look at three potential names that we could see calling the plays for the Tar Heels next season.

Brian Daboll

I know. Your first thought is "he got fired from the Giants. Why would we want him?"

Well, two reasons. The first, Belichick comes from a pro background and has consistently preached about making the Tar Heels "the 33rd NFL team." Adding Daboll would bring recent NFL experience to Chapel Hill and a guy who didn't work out as a head coach for the New York Giants, but has had successful years as an offensive coordinator.

During his last two seasons in 2020 and 2021 with the Buffalo Bills, Daboll's offense ranked No. 2 and No. 5 respectively in the NFL, and averaging over 28 points per game in both seasons.

The second reason is that Daboll would be bringing some college experience with him, as he was the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2017. That team went 13-1, ranked 15th in total points per game in the country, and beat Georgia 26-23 in the National Championship game.

Another hint at Daboll at least getting a call from Belichick is they have a prior history together from their time in New England. Daboll was the Patriots tight ends coach from 2013-2016. A run that saw the Patriots win two Super Bowls during that time.

Jason Beck

Jason Beck would be a young(er) candidate for the offensive coordinator position in Chapel Hill, and one that has absolutely zero ties to Chapel Hill or Bill Belichick. This is more of a long-shot suggestion, but if Belichick wants to move away from considering connections within the coaching staff and focus entirely on hiring the "best" for the position, Beck is one he should consider.

Beck has only been an offensive coordinator at the FBS level for three years now, being at a different school each time. His time at Syracuse in 2023 wasn't impressive enough to even discuss. However, in 2024 at New Mexico, the Lobos were 33rd in points per game and 4th in yards per game across the country.

Yes, it was at the group of five level in the Mountain West Conference, but still impressive.

In 2025, Beck moved up to the Big 12 and Utah under Kyle Whittingham at Utah. They were 6th in points per game and yards per game. The Utes were impressive this season and their offense led them to a 10-2 record. The last two seasons are plenty of reason to give Beck a call in itself.

To add to it, Beck could be looking to move into another offensive coordinator role anyway, as Kyle Whittingham announced on Friday that he would be stepping down as Utah's Head Coach. It would be the perfect time to offer Beck a chance to bring his high-powered offense of the last two years into the ACC.

Honorable Mention: Chip Kelly

Our site expert, Nick Delahanty, addressed his opinion on Kelly as a potential target before the season even ended. Chip Kelly is available, for now. And to Nick's point, if it truly is someone that the UNC Football program avoid at all costs, we may not have to worry about him even being in the mix.

First reported by Pete Nakos at On3Sports, Kelly has interviewed for the offensive coordinator position at Georgia Tech. Could he still be in the running for the job in Chapel Hill? Absolutely. Pro background (fits Belichick's mindset) while also bringing in the college experience (similar to Daboll). Kelly was the offensive coordinator for the National Champion Ohio State Buckeyes just last season.

However, signs are pointing towards no interest in Kelly joining the staff in Chapel Hill. The reason we think this is that Kelly has been out of a job in the NFL for a few weeks now, and the Tar Heels knew this before the season even ended. So if the goal was to target him, the UNC Football program wouldn't have waited two weeks to announce the Kitchens decision.