North Carolina
Steve Smith Sr. inducted into North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame
He’d go on to raise a family here, and there are little reminders of it every day. The other day, when it rained, his son grabbed a UNC jacket his dad had picked up for him while working Drake Maye’s pro day in Chapel Hill in his role with the NFL Network.
This place is part of him and his family now.
“I mean, people around here in Charlotte see me, and sometimes I’m in a grocery store,” he joked. “I’m not in a grocery store being Steve Smith; I’m in the grocery store looking for toilet paper, you know.”
Of course, it wasn’t much longer in the conversation about coming here and how it changed him that Smith was wiping away a single tear.
The offseason after the Panthers’ first Super Bowl run in 2003 when he was blossoming into a major star — complete with the heroics of a double-overtime game-winning walk-off touchdown in St. Louis — Smith was about to be rewarded. They were negotiating his first contract extension, the kind of money that would secure his family for generations.
He and his wife were looking at houses in Los Angeles, and they stopped to see his grandparents on East 126th Street. His late grandfather’s birthday was April 27th, and the proximity of that caught Smith Friday, as he recalled how proud he was as he showed his grandson his photo on the cover of the Sporting News.
He paused to collect himself before continuing to talk about being here now.
“Charlotte’s where I live, and that’s where my family calls home,” he said. But LA’s where I’m from, and that’ll never change.”
They thought about living on both coasts, but this was where he was putting down roots. So they decided to pass on the West Coast property.
North Carolina
Bill Belichick’s future at North Carolina in doubt: Report
First-year head coach Bill Belichick appeared to find his groove with the University of North Carolina by early November.
More News: Texas’ Steve Sarkisian Calls Out Notre Dame
The Tar Heels defeated Syracuse and Stanford in back-to-back weeks after starting out 0-3 in ACC play.
However, UNC lost its third consecutive game on Saturday as rival NC State mauled Belichick’s program 42-19 in front of 56,919 fans at Carter-Finley Stadium. North Carolina dropped a close 32-25 game to rival Duke in Week 13.
More News: Florida AD Receives Major Backlash Amid Jon Sumrall News
Following the loss to the Wolfpack, Belichick finished the regular season 4-8.
During the season, Belichick was linked to the New York Giants after Brian Daboll was fired. Belichick put those rumors to rest as he finished the season with the Tar Heels.
“Look, I’ve been down this road before,” Belichick said before North Carolina played Wake Forest. “I’m focused on Wake Forest, that’s it. That’s my commitment to this team. Next week it’ll be to our next opponent and so forth. I’m here to do the best I can for this team.”
Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the former New England Patriots head coach is expected to draw interest from multiple NFL teams this offseason.
“Some think one or more pro franchises will explore hiring Belichick, who can leave at any time for a buyout of only $1 million,” Florio wrote. “However, he has received only one interview during two hiring cycles since the Patriots fired him after the 2023 season.
“The 73-year-old Belichick took the UNC job last December, apparently due in part to the unwillingness of any NFL team(s) with a current or expected vacancy to indicate that he’d be hired. This time around, he’s available to be discreetly interviewed. If anyone chooses to interview him.”
Belichick should draw at least a discreet interview.
The head coach of six Super Bowl victories has 302 wins, which is third all-time in the NFL behind George Halas (318) and Don Shula (328). Belichick would have a chance to pass both in a few seasons if he had success with a new team.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.
North Carolina
What a Loss Would Mean for North Carolina
Saturday marks the end of the North Carolina Tar Heels’ 2025 college football season. Regardless of whether the Tar Heels win or lose, Saturday will be their final game played this season. North Carolina’s failure last week against the Duke Blue Devils officially eliminated it from bowl eligibility.
Bill Belichick’s team enters Week 14 with a 4-7 record. Last season, under Mac Brown, the Tar Heels finished with an 8-4 record and played in the Fenway Bowl against the Connecticut Huskies.
Hiring Belichick was supposed to elevate the football program while supplying substantial hardware. Clearly, that did not happen this season, and North Carolina will have to settle for a moral victory on Saturday.
What would a loss mean for the Tar Heels moving forward?
It goes without saying that Belichick’s tenure at North Carolina has gotten off to a rough start. Not only would a loss be the final nail in the coffin for this season, but it would bring North Carolina to 4-8, the opposite record it boasted last season under a different coaching staff.
Under Belichick, the Tar Heels have lacked ingenuity and creativity, which has left a bland brand of football this season. Because of that, North Carolina is our gene 19.3 points per game, which ranks 236th in the country.
The 73-year-old head coach has brought little life and energy into a program that, though his arrival would deliver success and hardware.
It is already the worst season for the Tar Heels in seven years, as it marks the first time during that span that the team will not be featured in a bowl game.
Losing on Saturday would add more fuel to the fire while also casting doubt on Belichick’s ability to develop a winning culture in Chapel Hill. There would also be more speculation about Belichick’s overall future.
Earlier this week, Senior NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that NFL teams could be calling Belichick to return to the league.
If the Tar Heels lose on Saturday, would it raise the probability of Belichick jumping ship and departing for an NFL head coaching job? Also, would North Carolina lose players to the transfer portal? Both are plausible outcomes in the event that the Tar Heels close out the season with three straight losses.
Please follow us on X when you click right HERE!
Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!
North Carolina
UNC’s Austin Blaske Mindset for Upcoming NC State Matchup
The North Carolina Tar Heels’ season will officially conclude after this weekend, regardless of the result on Saturday against North Carolina State.
However, the Impact of this game against North Carolina State means much more since it is an in-state rivalry matchup.
While speaking with the media during his press conference availability center Austin Blaske previewed the matchup while revealing what he has learned from his head coach during the season.
The Tar Heels’ season has been a roller coaster, which is one of the main reasons the team failed to qualify for a bowl game. Blaske understands that it has not been the season that many fans hoped for, but it served as a learning experience for the program.
Although Blaske’s final season does not conclude with a bowl game appearance, the six-year senior did have an opportunity to learn from Bill Belichick. The veteran center spoke on that experience and how it helped him develop as a player.
The Tar Heels’ 2025 season is inching closer to the end, but 2026 could spell much more success with another recruiting class arriving, paired with the experience gained from the current regime.
Please follow us on X when you click right HERE!
Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right HERE!
-
Science1 week agoWashington state resident dies of new H5N5 form of bird flu
-
Business5 days agoStruggling Six Flags names new CEO. What does that mean for Knott’s and Magic Mountain?
-
Politics3 days agoRep. Swalwell’s suit alleges abuse of power, adds to scrutiny of Trump official’s mortgage probes
-
Ohio4 days agoSnow set to surge across Northeast Ohio, threatening Thanksgiving travel
-
Southeast1 week agoAlabama teacher arrested, fired after alleged beating of son captured on camera
-
News1 week agoAnalysis: Why Democrats are warning about Trump giving illegal orders | CNN Politics
-
Technology4 days agoNew scam sends fake Microsoft 365 login pages
-
Business1 week agoFormer Google chief accused of spying on employees through account ‘backdoor’