When Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham and Chancellor Lee Roberts plus the Board of Trustees decided to hire Bill Belichick, the goal was that he'd change the state of the program following a season that saw plenty of falls, including injuries, losses, and no team identity.
Some believed that the NFL would swoop in and take away Belichick from Chapel Hill, but it's getting close to the middle of June, and the eight-time Super Bowl champion is still around, even securing top high school talent in North Carolina. All of that has led to CBS Sports listing UNC as one of the schools expected to be successful next season due to incoming transfers.
Of all the incoming transfers that North Carolina has secured, Will Backus of CBS Sports tabbed Thaddeus Dixon as the one he expects to be the most impactful for the UNC football program right out of the gate.
"New North Carolina coach Bill Belichick understands that he desperately needs to upgrade the Tar Heel defense, especially against the pass. The Tar Heels have allowed an average of 243.12 yards passing per game over the past two seasons and they haven't had a defensive back drafted since M.J. Stewart in 2018. Dixon may change that.
He has familiarity with UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick from their time together at Washington in 2024. At 6-foot-1, he has the frame to stand up against high-level wide receivers and also has nice short-area quickness. Though he has just two interceptions in two years at the Power Four level, he has deflected 18 passes, so he's around the ball plenty."
Dixon finished the 2024 season with 43 TOTs, 25 SOLOs,, 17 ASTs, and 10 PDs while recording one interception in the process. His defensive presence will be a factor for Belichick and UNC against the top quarterbacks the ACC has to offer.
Along with Dixon, his defensive coordinator and son of Belichick, Steve, is now part of the coaching staff, becoming a part of the NFL-like cohort that will steer the ship in the fall. The two were a part of a unit that placed 28th in the total defense category, so they know a thing or two.
The Washington Huskies finished the season with the same record as Carolina of 6-7, and Dixon enters a new environment led by arguably the greatest football coach in history, showing him the ropes of how to become a better player.
It's going to be quite the learning experience for Dixon, and Belichick who's going into his first ever football season as a collegiate head coach.