Where UNC lands in USA TODAY Sports' post-spring practice re-rank

College football season is just under four months away. In Chapel Hill, fans can only hope Year Two of the Bill Belichick experiment produces better results.

If Belichick's offseason recruiting efforts are any indication of UNC's fall success, signs are pointing in the right direction. North Carolina has a nationally-praised high school recruiting class, headlined by guys like Travis Burgess and Vodney Cleveland, while its transfer class re-loaded with skill players in Taron Dickens and Ade Willie.

Spring practice is now over, putting the Tar Heels one step closer to kickoff. In USA TODAY Sports' re-rank of all 138 FBS teams after spring practice, UNC lands 86th.

North Carolina is one spot behind Iowa State, which finished 8-4 and declined a 2025 bowl game invitation, amidst Matt Campbell leaving for Penn State. The Tar Heels are one slot ahead of Delaware, a school they landed star defensive end Melkart Abou-Jaoude from, which just transitioned from FCS to FBS level a season ago.