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USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
New UNC football defensive back talks about defensive expectations in 2025
How much of an impact will Thaddeus Dixon make this fall for UNC Bill Belichick and four of his players spent the day in Charlotte, N.C. on Thursday, representing UNC at the annual ACC Kickoff event. As you can imagine, Belichick brought about a large crowd – both in the hallways and media room. Though Belichick is the hot ticket in Chapel Hill this college football season, he won't be the one donning jerseys and pads on game day. When you look at the Tar Heels' roster this coming fall, you'll see plenty of new faces, particularly on a defense that historically struggles. Washington transfer Thaddeus Dixon, expected to make a huge impact at cornerback for North Carolina, spoke at ACC Kickoff about what fans can expect from UNC's new-look defense. "You can expect a tough, smart, dependable team," Dixon said. "A team that communicates a lot. A team that's well put-together, well-driven. A team with a chip on their shoulder. All of those characteristics are what we've been working on for the past 20 weeks. Just going at it hard every day. We'll be a real tight-knit defense, one that communicates a lot, flies to the ball, never gets tired, things like that.' Dixon, who started 12 games at Washington over his first two collegiate seasons, also spoke about being a veteran leader within the Tar Heels' new defense. Dixon's defensive coordinator, Steve Belichick, also coached him in Seattle. 'As a vet and a guy who's played in the defense, obviously a lot of the younger guys, they come up to me and ask questions about the defense," Dixon said. "I've got nothing but game to give them. Any time somebody has a question or they don't know something, I'm always the first one to go up there and try to get on the board with them and help them learn.' North Carolina is hoping Dixon, who totaled 69 tackles, 16 pass breakups, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble with the Huskies, while also earning Honorable Mention All-Big 10 Honors in 2024, can be the difference-maker UNC's defense needs to make a positive impact in 2025. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
New York Post
03-07-2025
- General
- New York Post
Delta airplane wing part plummets onto NC driveway mid-flight
The sky is falling! A flap from a Delta Airlines plane plummeted from the sky and onto a driveway in North Carolina early Wednesday morning. 3 A flap from a Delta Airlines plane fell off mid-flight and landed onto a driveway in Raleigh, North Carolina. Atlanta News First The fragment found in a residential Raleigh neighborhood splintered off a Boeing 737 flight from Atlanta to Raleigh-Durham International Airport that had been delayed Tuesday evening due to a thunderstorm in Georgia, according to a spokesperson for Delta. The flap, which was 'evidently separated' from the left wing, didn't impede the aircraft's 'safe landing' in Raleigh-Durham, the spokesperson wrote. It landed smack dab in the middle of one unlucky Tar Heel's driveway, just a few yards away from their car. 3 The wing part just missed the Tar Heels' car in their driveway. Atlanta News First Still, the six crew members tending to the 109 customers aboard the flight didn't realize they'd lost the piece of precious cargo until they landed around 1:15 a.m. 'After the aircraft landed safely, it was observed that a portion of the left wing's trailing edge flap was not in place. Delta is fully supporting retrieval efforts and will cooperate with investigations as nothing is more important than safety,' the spokesperson wrote. Trailing edge flaps are used during takeoff and landing to help the plane slow down and maintain altitude, according to NASA. Passengers lucky enough to nab the coveted window seats near the wings typically have the perfect view of the flaps in action. 3 The crew aboard the flight didn't notice the flap was missing until they landed. AFP via Getty Images Last year, one Delta airplane also lost an emergency slide after it fell out of the plane mid-flight, when it wasn't even needed. The slide later bizarrely turned up in front of a beach house owned by a lawyer who happened to work at the very firm suing Boeing over repeated safety issues. In September, a small plane's door was blown off its hinges shortly after takeoff. No one was injured, and the plane was able to land safely.
USA Today
28-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC basketball releases its full non-conference schedule for 2025-2026 season
Which matchups are you most excited for? As the UNC basketball team inches closer to the start of its 2025-2026 season, anticipation continues building in Chapel Hill. With the exception of Seth Trimble, James Brown and Zayden High, everyone is a newcomer to the Tar Heels' star-studded roster. North Carolina hit the transfer portal hard: bringing in 7-foot center Henri Veesaar, likely starting point guard Kyan Evans, hometown kid Jarin Stevenson, plus a pair of shooting guards in Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young. Hubert Davis continued to showcase his recruiting prowess, with UNC's 2025 recruiting class including Top-10 recruit Caleb Wilson, plus a pair of combo guards in Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis. The Tar Heels previously teased fans about their upcoming season, releasing a few non-conference matchups. North Carolina released the rest of their non-conference opponents on Friday, now allowing fans to prepare which nights they'll be in the Dean Dome, on the road, or on their couches. Outside of a road clash with Kentucky, a neutral-site battle with Ohio State, plus a pair of Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off games against Michigan State and St. Bonaventure, you'll notice one eye-popping characteristic about UNC's non-conference schedule: every matchup is in the Dean Dome. The Tar Heels' first official home game will be Monday, November 3 against Central Arkansas, which became Division I in 2010. Four days later, North Carolina will host a highly-anticipated matchup against Kansas, which won in Allen Fieldhouse last year. Radford (Nov. 11), NC Central (Nov. 14) and Navy (Nov. 18) are all winnable games, then UNC faces a strong Atlantic 10 program in St. Bonaventure, followed by a Thanksgiving Day game against Tom Izzo's Spartans. Rupp Arena will be rocking on December 2, as will the Dean Dome on December 7 against Georgetown. USC-Upstate, ETSU and ECU are all teams the Tar Heels should beat handily, while Ohio State will provide a strong challenge. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
USA Today
19-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Bill Belichick's (likely) first UNC QB is impressing — with his 'violent' golf game
Bill Belichick's (likely) first UNC QB is impressing — with his 'violent' golf game CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Christo Kelly hasn't blocked for Gio Lopez or seen the South Alabama transfer make plays in a practice setting for UNC football. But Kelly, a Holy Cross transfer and veteran offensive lineman, can vouch for Lopez's golf game and the 6-foot, 200-pound lefty's aggressive willingness to win. "Gio's a great competitor, and obviously he had a great career at South Alabama. He's a pretty good golfer, too. Very good club head speed,' Kelly said June 10 during a summer press conference at the Kenan Football Center. BLOCKING THE NOISE: Bill Belichick ignores off-the-field 'noise', describes what he's seen from UNC football Described by Kelly as a golfer who is 'violent with the hips' and 'hits it very hard' – evidenced by their shared experience at Topgolf during a long-drive competition – Lopez comes to Chapel Hill as the favorite to be the Tar Heels' starting quarterback in UNC's debut season under head coach Bill Belichick. "Just like everything, everything's a competition, day in and day out. Everyone's really just focused on taking it one day at a time. No one's really viewing anything as a starter or non-starter, whatever that is,' Kelly said. 'Guys were brought in here to compete. And the message has been sent that you're going to earn everything every day. So you've got to come with your A-game, and iron sharpens iron. So it's good to be in this position where you have so many great players in the quarterback room. And really, all the rooms in general, where guys are just going to be pushing each other every day." Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Shipp threw a jab at Lopez's accent, but went on to praise the QB's presence around the team. "Gio's a great guy outside of ball. I haven't had a rep with him in pads yet, but I still feel like my trust in him is just as high as everybody else. We can plug-and-play any quarterback. All of them are good. All of them can ball. All of them can play. So I feel good with anybody,' Shipp said. "But off the field, Gio's a great guy. He comes from a great family. He's from Alabama, so he throws that accent in a little bit. But I love Gio, and I'm excited for what he's going to bring to the program." Bill Belichick discusses Gio Lopez, UNC football quarterback competition In just under 50 days, UNC will begin preseason practice in preparation for the Tar Heels' season opener against TCU on Labor Day. But who will be taking first-team reps at quarterback on the first day of training camp in Belichick's first season? There are three candidates to be that guy on Aug. 1, the date of the first practice, and Sept. 1, the date of the first game: freshman Bryce Baker, veteran Max Johnson and Lopez. 'Bryce is the only one that was here in the spring. Max was here, but wasn't able to participate much (because of his recovery from a leg injury). And, of course, Gio is new. So I think, as we see the offense evolve, it'll obviously be reflective of how those quarterbacks do and how that position shapes up,' Belichick said on June 10 during a summer press conference at the Kenan Football Center. 'So I think we have good competition there, and our offense is our offense, and we'll be able to adapt to whoever it is. … But we'll see how it all plays out. So right now, that position is one that we just don't have a lot of on-field experience with. And again, even though Max was here, he just wasn't able to participate in any of the team drills. So you know, it kind of also includes him, even though he's a very experienced player." There isn't a lot of clarity, but there seems to be a clear choice as the favorite: Lopez. Five days after UNC's open practice on April 12 at Kenan Stadium, Lopez committed to the Tar Heels. Lopez finished with 2,559 passing yards and 25 total touchdowns, completing 66% of his passes with 18 passing TDs in 11 starts last season with the Jaguars. He also showed an ability to make plays out of the pocket, logging 465 rushing yards and seven TDs on the ground. In his lone start against a high-major program, Lopez had 173 yards and a TD in a loss at No. 14 LSU. "Gio was really productive at South Alabama. He's a dual-threat quarterback. He's had plenty of production, yardage, both running game and passing game experience. Tough kid, played well against some good competition, teams like LSU,' Belichick said. 'So, looks like he's definitely ready for this level. And we're excited to work with him, as we are with everybody else. … We'll see how it all plays out, honestly.' Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UNC football coach Bill Belichick gives early thoughts on the transfer quarterback
During the time period this offseason when many fans were evaluating the idea that the UNC football team could sign ex-Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava, South Alabama transfer QB made himself available and became the Tar Heels' target. Lopez committed to North Carolina and immediately entered a quarterback battle with Max Johnson and freshman Bryce Baker. The 6-foot-0 QB from James Clemens HS in Madison, Alabama, was a three-star prospect out of high school and a three-star prospect, just a two-point differential in rating, according to 247Sports. Advertisement However, Belichick loves the underrated player that he believes can evolve to something better than anyone else believes he is. Now, coach has had time to evaluate that decision and spoke on on what he thought of Lopez. Quoted via Inside Carolina, this is what Belichick had to say when asked about what he thought about Gio Lopez: "Gio was really productive at South Alabama. He's a dual-threat quarterback. He's had plenty of production, yardage, and both running game and passing game experience. Tough kid, played well against some good competition, teams like LSU. So looks like he's definitely ready for this level. And we're excited to work with him, as we are with everybody else." Last season, in Lopez's freshman year at South Alabama, he threw for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions. He finished the season with a 150.8 QB rating and a 66% completion percentage. He averaged 8.2 yards per throw on the mid-major squad. Advertisement Lopez will now enter Power 4 territory and could have the opportunity to be the first starting quarterback under the Bill Belichick era. There is still plenty of practice to go between now and the opening kickoff against TCU in September. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Bill Belichick gives early thoughts on UNC QB Gio Lopez
