UNC gets famous surprise visitor at Saturday football practice
UNC gets famous surprise visitor at Saturday football practice You never know who'll appear in Chapel Hill.
The Bill Belichick era is in full swing for the North Carolina Tar Heels, who are hoping their new head football coach can return them to national relevance.
UNC made bowl games in each year under former head coach Mack Brown, but only won once (2019 Military Bowl vs. Temple). North Carolina sported immense talent under Brown, most notably Sam Howell, Drake Maye and Omarion Hampton, but only one division title (2022 ACC Coastal) to show.
The Tar Heels aren't nationally-relevant on the football field yet, but Belichick is already attracting national attention. UNC was the talk of college football upon Belichick's arrival, despite bowl season being in full swing.
North Carolina's national attention includes a recent visitor to spring practice.
Lil' Wayne, a 5-time Grammy Award-winning rapper known for songs like "Fireman," visited the Tar Heels during their spring practice session on Saturday, April 5.
There's no previous known connection between Weezy and the UNC football program, but his visit is pretty big news.
Lil' Wayne isn't a football recruiter by any means, at least not that I know of, but he's a big name in the music industry. My hope is that young football players, whether in the transfer portal or coming out of high school, will choose North Carolina due to its newfound ability to bring in famous visitors.
The Tar Heels will play their first game under Bill Belichick on Monday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. against TCU. How UNC performs in its season-opener will likely determine the direction of its season, which there's plenty of anticipation and question marks about.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly known as Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Auburn football 2025 snapshot profile: Alex McPherson
Auburn football 2025 snapshot profile: Alex McPherson Alex McPherson is ready to return to action this season after experiencing a setback in 2024. The 2025 season is expected to be an exciting one for the Auburn Tigers. As we anticipate the start of the season, lets introduce you to a key member of the 2025 roster. Alex McPherson has been a solid special teams player since arriving on campus in 2022. However, he suffered a setback that severely limited his talents last season. McPherson battled through a gastrointestinal illness, which forced him to miss all but one game in 2024. Despite the roadblock, McPherson continued to regain strength during spring practice and is now cleared to return to action as Auburn's starting placekicker for the 2025 season. "Just being around the guys has been a blast, and just getting back for spring practice. All that hard work and time we spent trying to figure everything out... now it is finally paying off," McPherson said during the spring practice period. "Getting to see the fruit from everything that we have been going through... it is awesome to finally get back out there." McPherson's return should boost Auburn's field goal game this season. The 2024 Tigers connected on just 12-of-22 field goal attempts last season, which is a far cry from McPherson's 90% success rate. Before the season starts, here is a look at McPherson's player profile. Alex McPherson's personal profile Hometown: Fort Payne, Alabama Fort Payne, Alabama High school: Fort Payne High School Fort Payne High School Height: 5-9 5-9 Weight: 160 160 Class: Junior Alex McPherson as a recruit Recruiting class: 2022 2022 Position rank: No. 2 No. 2 State rank: No. 93 No. 93 Rating: Three-star Three-star Other schools of interest: Florida, Texas A&M Alex McPherson's career numbers YEAR FGM FGA LONG XPM XPA 2022 6 7 51 9 9 2023 13 13 53 40 40 2024 1 2 27 3 3 TOTALS 20 22 53 52 52 Alex McPherson's PFF report card 2022: 59.8 59.8 2023: 88.4 88.4 2024: 80.8 80.8 Strengths: 90.9 FG %, 100% on field goal tries between 30-39 yards, 66.7% (3-of-4) on field goals of 50+ yards The best photos of Alex McPherson's Auburn career Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Ohio State football receives pledge from 2026 four-star edge rusher
Ohio State football receives pledge from 2026 four-star edge rusher Coming out of a big recruiting event last weekend, the Ohio State football team has a little momentum. The Buckeyes first received a pledge from 4-star in-state running back Favour Akih, and just on the heels of that news, OSU now has a commitment from 4-star defensive end Khary Wilder. Out of Gardena, California, Wilder is ranked as the No. 242 player and 32nd-ranked edge rusher in the 2026 recruiting class according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He chose Ohio State over Notre Dame, Alabama, UCLA, and Washington. He is the first defensive lineman in the class to commit to the Buckeyes. With the news, OSU's 2026 class has now grown to 15 total commitments and has jumped up to the No. 2 class in the country according to 247Sports. The Buckeyes still have plenty of room in the class it is putting together, and Larry Johnson would love to add more to the defensive line. We'll continue to cover all things Ohio State recruiting and bring you any noteworthy news as we continue to tread towards the Early Signing Period that begins in December. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump to attend 'Les Misérables' premiere as protests persist across the country
President Donald Trump is set to attend the opening night of 'Les Misérables,' a musical set against a background of revolution and protest, at Washington, D.C.'s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday. 'I love the songs, I love the play,' Trump told Fox News Digital last week. 'I think it's great.' The opening night of a monthlong run of the Tony Award-winning show comes amid widespread protests against the president's immigration policies and his decision to deploy members of the military in response. Protesting against power is a major theme in the show, which is centered around student-led demonstrations against the French monarchy. 'Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, the musical tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice, and redemption — a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit,' reads the official summary on the Kennedy Center's website. Songs from the musical have been used in protests against governments around the world since the show debuted in 1980, including by pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong in 2019. Protesters sang one of the show's most popular and recognizable hits, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?' which includes the lyrics, 'Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men?' The show will be the first production Trump has attended as head of the Kennedy Center. He did not attend any performances during his first term in office, and in February he replaced the entire board of trustees and had himself named chairman of the board. The shake-up resulted in some concerts being canceled — including a performance by the Gay Men's Chorus in honor of Pride Month — and other artists and productions pulling out of planned shows to protest the changes, including actor Issa Rae and a production of 'Hamilton.' 'Our show simply cannot, in good conscience, participate and be a part of this new culture that is being imposed on the Kennedy Center,' 'Hamilton' producer Jeffrey Seller said in a statement in March. A spokesperson for "Les Miz" said Wednesday, 'We are looking forward to performing for DC audiences beginning tonight and throughout the engagement at the Kennedy Center, where the US first saw the original production in 1986.' The performance Wednesday is serving as a fundraiser for the Kennedy Center. First lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance, are expected to attend as well. Security will be tightened around the venue for the performance, the Kennedy Center said. 'Please be advised the Kennedy Center will be closed to non-ticket holders on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, due to enhanced security protocols,' the venue's website said. This article was originally published on
