UNC head coach Bill Belichick’s offense under the previous OC, Freddie Kitchens, didn’t take off at all, as the team ranked 131st nationally in total offense. Naturally, Belichick let Kitchens go; his new hire, Bobby Petrino, brings a proven pedigree from a 3-year tenure at Arkansas. And hiring him was a bargain for the head coach, but he still has several areas to improve.
According to reports, Bobby Petrino has signed a $2.35 million two-year contract with UNC. The 65-year-old will earn $1 million in the 2026 season, and his pay will subsequently rise to $1.35 million in 2027. Freddie Kitchens, in contrast, made $1.15 million last season and started as UNC’s run game coordinator and tight ends coach in 2023 under Mack Brown.
“We just weren’t able to get there last year, for a number of reasons. So, this year, we’re much further ahead in that process,” Belichick said about hiring Petrino. “Bobby’s got a ton of experience. He’s had great production every place he’s been. I’m excited to work with him. He’s been great to work with, and I think he’s got a great grasp of offensive football and certainly familiarity with his system on how to call it and the adjustments that he makes with it.”
Petrino comes to UNC with a wealth of experience, both as an NFL head coach and with numerous years in college football coaching. He started as an assistant at Carroll (MT) in 1983 and rose through the ranks, landing the first major OC job at Louisville in 1998. Louisville stood 6th nationally in total offense in that season, notching 40.4 yards per game and accumulating 408.9 yards per game. That performance finally led to the Jacksonville Jaguars hiring Petrino.
O-line drills from UNC’s first spring practice. Year 2 under Bill Belichick. Year 1 with OC Bobby Petrino. pic.twitter.com/YTzKepsalj
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) March 24, 2026
After three years as the Jaguars’ OC and QBs coach, Petrino returned to college football, becoming Auburn’s OC. There, he led Auburn’s explosive offense, torched defenses, and finally became the Cardinals’ head coach in 2003, his first HC gig. Ever since then, he has had stints as head coach at the Atlanta Falcons, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, and Missouri State, during which he established his name for his offensive brilliance, compiling a 137-78 head coaching record.
“I’ve known Bobby for a long time,” Belichick said. “I think a lot of things that he did are similar to what we did at New England, so the merger of those really is… they’re not the same, but there are definitely similarities in concepts and so forth. We’ve had a pretty easy time getting on the same page…There are certain things that we’re gonna collaborate on, and that’s what it’ll be.”
Most recently, Petrino was Arkansas’ OC from 2024, and the Razorbacks ranked 10th nationally in total offense. Even though the program regressed and managed to notch just 6 regular-season wins, it was Arkansas’ defense that let everyone down. That was clear in 2025, when he became the interim head coach and led Arkansas to a 13th-ranked total offense.
Apart from the annual salary, UNC has also given Petrino a $10,000 lump-sum signing bonus. He has also gotten a $15,000 relocation compensation and will also get a $7,500 vehicle allowance for conducting university business. Before coming to UNC, Petrino was set to earn $1.6 million at Arkansas this year. When the program laid him off, they owed him that sum. But since Petrino has taken a new job, the Razorbacks will only have to pay $600,000 under the offset clause.
Will Bobby Petrino overcome his past mistakes at Arkansas?
Bobby Petrino’s schemes at Arkansas emphasized timing and route concepts, creating heavy mismatches. Quarterback Taylen Green benefited from it in 2024, when he passed for 3,154 yards and rushed for 602 yards. He followed it up with another 777-yard rushing performance in 2025, along with passing for 2,714 yards. Can we expect the same dominance at UNC?
UNC has significantly revamped its QB room in Belichick’s second year. Although Gio Lopez and backup Max Johnson transferred away, Belichick has brought in Billy Edwards (Wisconsin) and Miles O’Neil from Texas A&M. Taron Dickens is a dark horse coming from Western Carolina, along with Virginia Tech’s Bryce Baker.
Despite the quality of Petrino’s offenses, we have seen him falter in second halves and against stronger defenses. Against Ole Miss last year, the offense scored only 7 points; against Notre Dame, his offense managed zero points in the second half. That was a major reason Arkansas couldn’t mount a comeback in those games. However, the UNC’s success won’t come solely from his offensive improvements. The Tar Heels need to do a better job in every aspect of the game to look like a usual Belichick-coached team.
