Syracuse football's week-eight opponent: Get to know the North Carolina Tar Heels

The Syracuse Orange will begin the second half of its 2026 season with a road trip to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. This will be the Orange’s fourth away game in a stretch of five games, which could make what seems like a winnable game rather tricky for Syracuse. Similar to the Orange, the Tar Heels are coming off a rough season in 2025, but they do hope to take a step forward, meaning they’ll also view this as a winnable game. Before the season begins, let’s take a look at what to expect from North Carolina this season.

North Carolina head coach: Bill Belichick

Obviously, Belichick needs no introduction. He won six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots, albeit with some assistance from Tom Brady. After parting ways with the Patriots following a 4-13 campaign in 2023, Belichick dabbled in media work before returning to coaching at the collegiate level (not to mention dating at the collegiate level). His first season at North Carolina was something of a disaster, with the Tar Heels finishing 4-8, so the jury is still out on Belichick as a college coach.

Last meeting with Syracuse: North Carolina 27, Syracuse 10 (2025)

Even amidst a lost season, this looked like a game Syracuse might be able to win against an equally pathetic UNC team that had lost four in a row and whose only victories came against Charlotte and Richmond. Fran Brown tried to pull a Halloween surprise by starting Joe Filardi at quarterback. But that turned out to be a mistake, as Filardi completed four of 18 passes for just 39 yards. An Anwar Sparrow fumble return for a touchdown helped give Syracuse a 10-6 halftime lead. But the Orange defense couldn’t keep UNC out of the end zone all night when the offense provided no help, ultimately leading to a 27-10 North Carolina win.

Series history

This will be the ninth all-time meeting between Syracuse and North Carolina. The Tar Heels have won the last three games in 2020, 2023 and last year, all by comfortable margins. However, the Orange eked out a double-overtime win over UNC during that memorable 2018 campaign. Before they were conference foes, Syracuse and North Carolina split a pair of home-and-home arrangements in both the 90s and early 2000s. Oddly enough, the road team won all four of those games, although the Orange hasn’t won in Chapel Hill since 2003.

North Carolina’s 2025 season

As mentioned, the Tar Heels were 4-8 in Belichick’s first season in Chapel Hill. North Carolina suffered lopsided losses early in the season to TCU, UCF and Clemson before being more competitive against California and Virginia. The Tar Heels snapped their four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over Syracuse and Stanford. But that success was short-lived, as the Tar Heels lost their last three games to in-state foes Wake Forest, Duke and NC State, getting outscored 102-56 in those games.

North Carolina’s key returning players

There will be at least some continuity in Belichick’s second season. Leading rusher Demon June is back in the UNC backfield, as is his backup Benjamin Hall. Of course, those two only combined for 738 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, so questions remain about North Carolina’s rushing attack. Likewise, last year’s leading receiver Jordan Shipp is also back in Chapel Hill. Shipp hauled in 60 catches for 671 yards in 2025, giving UNC’s passing attack at least one proven commodity.

On defense, edge rusher Melkart About Jaoude is back after racking up 10.5 sacks last year. He should be among the top pass rushers in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. Interior defensive linemen Isaiah Johnson and Leroy Jackson also return after productive 2025 seasons, giving the Tar Heels a strong defensive front. In the secondary, Jaiden Patterson and Kaleb Cost were both solid options at cornerback last year. Also, both Greg Smith and Coleman Bryson have plenty of experience at safety, so the back end of the UNC defense is in good shape.

North Carolina’s notable additions

The biggest transfer portal addition for UNC was new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. He began his career at Wake Forest, spent three years at Maryland, and transferred to Wisconsin last season before landing in Chapel Hill for his final year of eligibility. Injuries have been an issue for Edwards, which is why the 2024 season at Maryland is the only time he’s been a full-time starter. Even then, he got benched in the penultimate game of a 4-8 campaign. Edwards has some potential, but he’s never proven himself to be an above-average quarterback at the power-conference level.

To help Edwards, the Tar Heels have brought in fellow Wisconsin transfer Trech Kekahuna and Lafayette transfer Mason Humphrey at wide receiver. Tight end Jaxxon Warren, a transfer from Colorado State, is also penciled in to be a starter. The Tar Heels are also counting on Arkansas transfer Jac’Qawn McRoy and Charleston Southern transfer Andrew Threatt to provide immediate answers for an offensive line that’s facing a lot of questions heading into 2026.

On defense, linebacker was North Carolina’s biggest area of need. The Tar Heels addressed that need by poaching Derek McDonald from Syracuse and adding Richmond transfer Peyton Seelmann. Both will be starters right away ahead of a largely inexperienced set of linebackers behind them. UNC also added more depth to an already strong defensive line with Richmond transfer Donovan Hoilette and Penn State transfer Jaylen Harvey.

North Carolina’s season outlook

Year two under Belichick doesn’t necessarily look more promising than year one. The Tar Heels don’t have a firm answer at quarterback, nor do they look rock solid along the offensive line. It’s not as if they have a lot of difference-makers at the offensive skill positions either. A strong defensive line should be able to carry the Tar Heels on that side of the ball and keep them in games. But there are plenty of lingering questions about the North Carolina offense heading into the season.

The schedule makers didn’t do Belichick any favors either. The Tar Heels open the season in Ireland against the same TCU team that blew them out in last year’s opener. They also face road games against Clemson, Pittsburgh, Duke and Virginia, as well as home dates with Notre Dame, Miami and Louisville. In other words, the Tar Heels will get most of the top contenders in the ACC. Even a road game against UConn in November won’t be easy. Just matching last year’s 4-8 record might be considered a success against this schedule.

When and where does North Carolina play Syracuse in 2026?

Fran Brown will take his Syracuse football team to Chapel Hill on Saturday, Oct. 24. There is no time set for the game yet.

Prediction: Syracuse 21, North Carolina 13

There should be little doubt that this will be a must-win game for both teams if they hope to qualify for a bowl. Based on how both teams look heading into the season, this game looks like it’ll be a defense slugfest. But with Steve Angeli at quarterback, the Orange should have an edge at the most important position. That will be enough for Syracuse to steal an ugly win on the road.

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