North Carolina royalty seemed pretty pleased with the Tar Heels’ opening drive in the Bill Belichick era.
Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor and Roy Williams were among those in attendance on Monday night for UNC’s opener against TCU, when Caleb Hood ran for an eight-yard touchdown to open up the scoring and to the delight of the alums at Chapel Hill.
The ESPN cameras captured the former UNC basketball coach sitting alongside MJ and LT as he cheered the opening score, while Jordan looked on in approval and Taylor pointed toward the field.
Both played collegiately for the Tar Heels.
The cameras then showed ESPN’s Randy Moss, who played for Belichick during his time in New England, in a box, cheering with the UNC coach’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, looking on.
Among the other notable names expected to be at Monday’s game in Chapel Hill were Mia Hamm, Julius Peppers, Eric Church, Chase Rice and Blake Snell.
The Chapel Bill era started exactly how UNC fans would have hoped it to with the opening touchdown drive.
Quarterback Gio Lopez went 2-for-2 on his pass attempts during the drive, going through the air for 58 yards, as he helped guide the Tar Heels 83 yards during the sequence that ended with the Hood rushing TD.
After months of off-field drama surrounding Belichick and Hudson’s relationship, the focus was back on football for the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach, who is coaching in the college ranks for the first time in his career.
Belichick was hired to lead the football program in December after taking a year off from coaching football following his exit from New England.
“I’ve been through a lot of opening days and every one is the same in that there’s some things you kind of feel good about. There’s some other questions that you have and then as things unfold, you find out how good you feel about the things you feel good,” Belichick said ahead of Monday’s game. “And how good you feel about the things you were worried about. It’s not always the same.
Belichick’s feel-good start didn’t last long, as TCU scored 20 unanswered points before the first half closed out.