Returning to its roots: Kenan Stadium to return to natural grass in 2025

Bill Belichick is making improvements all around Chapel Hill.

On Monday, the program announced that Kenan Stadium will return to natural grass, starting this upcoming season. The look is expected to mirror the last time Kenan Stadium had a natural grass field, an era that spanned from 2017 to 2019.

In a statement that was included in the school's official press release, Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham discussed the decision in further detail:

"With our current turf reaching the end of its lifespan, the timing made sense to return Kenan Stadium to its natural grass roots. Our staff takes great pride in maintaining a top-tier field that reflects the excellence of UNC Football, and we look forward to cheering on the team as it competes on a world-class natural grass surface next season."

Here's some more details regarding the actual project:

"Contractor Carolina Green, based in Indian Trail, N.C., will install 67,000 square feet of GameOnGrass® Tahoma sod, as well as 36,000 square feet of a synthetic turf around the field's perimeter. The irrigation system will use reclaimed water, similar to other Carolina Athletics fields.

The project, which is being funded by The Rams Club, is expected to last 12 weeks."

I don't know about you, but I am THRILLED to hear this announcement.

Belichick knows a thing or two about playing surfaces, as there are a lot of issues and concerns with turf. As Cunningham mentioned, it was rather good timing that the lifespan of the current turf was set to expire, giving the new UNC football regime the opportunity to choose how they wish to proceed with the field specs moving forward.

This seems like a really good decision by the university, as a natural grass field will once again be installed within Kenan Stadium.