University of North Carolina Athletics
Extra Points: Going Green
August 23, 2026 | Football, Extra Points
Bill Belichick has coached football games in five international settings over his long and illustrious career—London in 2009, 2012 and 2024; Mexico City in 2017; and Germany in 2023. The New England Patriots won three of them.
"I've coached in a lot of games," Belichick says. "But you remember the ones like this—the international games—because they're different, they're unique, they're special."
Belichick has also visited Dublin, Ireland. That was in early July 1995 when he was there to see his good friend Jon Bon Jovi perform on the These Days Tour. Their friendship goes back to the 1980s when Belichick was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Bon Jovi—a New Jersey native and Giants fan—would visit team practices.
"I spent a couple nights in Dublin and listened to Jon rock the city," Belichick says.
Now the Tar Heels' second-year coach is set for another international experience. He leads Carolina into its season opener Aug. 29 against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game will be played at 5 p.m. local time next Saturday in Aviva Stadium (noon kick-off Eastern Daylight Time).
"A lot of our players haven't travelled abroad, so this will be the first time," he says. "To come to a welcoming country like Ireland and play in this kind of game—it's tremendous experience."
For one week the Carolina blue and TCU purple will flood the streets of Dublin and contrast with the omnipresent green of Ireland—the national color adopted because of the frequent rain and a mild climate that keep Ireland's grass, trees and countryside green year around and the color that symbolized Irish resistance during the 1641 rebellion, when the Irish Catholic Confederation used a green flag with a harp to separate themselves from British rule (which used blue). It's the land of shamrocks, corned beef, Guinness stout, horse racing, Gaelic football, James Joyce and Bono.
"I could not be more excited for the guys," says former Tar Heel punter Ben Kiernan, a Dublin native now living in Charlotte. "It will be super fun for them to have that life experience. They will be welcomed by the Irish people. The Irish are immersed in American sports and American culture. The atmosphere will feel like an Irish rugby match—a lot of emotion and people having a good time."
It's one thing to take a team overnight to Syracuse or Tallahassee for an ACC game—leave midday Friday, arrive later that afternoon at the destination, team meal and meetings, Saturday wake-up call, play the game and return home on Saturday night.
Traveling 3,600 miles and five time zones is a different kettle of fish.
All the players have to have passports, and most have never left the borders of the United States. The team's equipment, as well as certain medical supplies and nutritional needs, left a week early by cargo plane.
As Carolina's director of football operations, Alec Kerr has the responsibility as the point-man on all things travel. He was in a similar role on Belichick's New England Patriots staff in 2023 when they played Indianapolis in Frankfurt, Germany.
"We're fortunate with Coach Belichick we have a roadmap of what works," Kerr says. "It's like one big puzzle; it's the challenge of getting all the pieces to fall into place. With international games, there is a lot more logistics and planning. But we have a template that works."
The Tar Heels' traveling party of some 260 players, coaches, support staff and university administrators will travel to Dublin on Wednesday of game week and be headquartered in a downtown hotel. They will return home on Sunday and have an open date the next week so plenty of time to recover and adjust before playing East Tennessee State at noon in Kenan Stadium on Sept. 12.
Bubba Cunningham was on the athletics administrative staff at Notre Dame in 1996 when the Irish played Navy in what was then known as the Shamrock Classic. While athletic director at Carolina from 2011 until his transition into an advisory role in July 2026, he always had his eye on the possibility of the Tar Heels playing in Dublin.
"It was a great experience," Cunningham says. "It was fun for the team and the fans. The Irish people were very welcoming, and we had a taste of their way of life. I always remembered that. Many of our teams will have an international experience at some point during a student-athlete's career, but with football we never had this opportunity. The stars aligned this year for us and TCU to take a game there, and I'm excited for what our team and fans have in store."
The excitement of the adventure crackled through the Tar Heel roster throughout August training camp. One, the Tar Heels are committed to bouncing back in year two of the Belichick regime. And two, a four-day trip to play in a foreign country engenders a sense of adventure you don't get from most season openers.
"I've never played football outside the United States," says running back Demon June, a key part of the offense last season. "It's a blessing to have the opportunity to go with guys you've put in all the work over winter, spring, the offseason. We get to go overseas and play the game we love."
"I've never been out of the country, that's the case for a lot of these guys," says linebacker Coleman Bryson, a transfer from Minnesota. "To go somewhere like Ireland and play in a place foreign to us is a cool experience. A lot of guys watched the Week Zero game a year ago. It's a different stadium, a different country, a different crowd. It will be a memory for a lifetime."
The transition of Belichick moving from the NFL to college football is now complete at 18 months. The team is settled with the roster essentially what it was coming out of spring practice. The addition of first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to the staff augers well for the Tar Heels having a more productive group moving the ball and scoring points.
"I love our chemistry, that stands out more than anything," Bryson says. "We play for each other, and we play together and we have one common goal—and that is to win. We're full speed ahead on that."
"I'm loving what I'm seeing so far," adds Jaiden Patterson, a starter last year at cornerback. "Everyone has worked hard, we're coming together like a big family. We shut out the outside noise and focus on getting better. We've put in a lot of work since last year. I'm anxious to see it play out."
Lee Pace (Carolina 1979) has written about Tar Heel football under the Extra Points banner since 1990. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him @LeePaceTweet.
"I've coached in a lot of games," Belichick says. "But you remember the ones like this—the international games—because they're different, they're unique, they're special."
Belichick has also visited Dublin, Ireland. That was in early July 1995 when he was there to see his good friend Jon Bon Jovi perform on the These Days Tour. Their friendship goes back to the 1980s when Belichick was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants and Bon Jovi—a New Jersey native and Giants fan—would visit team practices.
"I spent a couple nights in Dublin and listened to Jon rock the city," Belichick says.
Now the Tar Heels' second-year coach is set for another international experience. He leads Carolina into its season opener Aug. 29 against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game will be played at 5 p.m. local time next Saturday in Aviva Stadium (noon kick-off Eastern Daylight Time).
"A lot of our players haven't travelled abroad, so this will be the first time," he says. "To come to a welcoming country like Ireland and play in this kind of game—it's tremendous experience."
For one week the Carolina blue and TCU purple will flood the streets of Dublin and contrast with the omnipresent green of Ireland—the national color adopted because of the frequent rain and a mild climate that keep Ireland's grass, trees and countryside green year around and the color that symbolized Irish resistance during the 1641 rebellion, when the Irish Catholic Confederation used a green flag with a harp to separate themselves from British rule (which used blue). It's the land of shamrocks, corned beef, Guinness stout, horse racing, Gaelic football, James Joyce and Bono.
"I could not be more excited for the guys," says former Tar Heel punter Ben Kiernan, a Dublin native now living in Charlotte. "It will be super fun for them to have that life experience. They will be welcomed by the Irish people. The Irish are immersed in American sports and American culture. The atmosphere will feel like an Irish rugby match—a lot of emotion and people having a good time."
It's one thing to take a team overnight to Syracuse or Tallahassee for an ACC game—leave midday Friday, arrive later that afternoon at the destination, team meal and meetings, Saturday wake-up call, play the game and return home on Saturday night.
Traveling 3,600 miles and five time zones is a different kettle of fish.
All the players have to have passports, and most have never left the borders of the United States. The team's equipment, as well as certain medical supplies and nutritional needs, left a week early by cargo plane.
As Carolina's director of football operations, Alec Kerr has the responsibility as the point-man on all things travel. He was in a similar role on Belichick's New England Patriots staff in 2023 when they played Indianapolis in Frankfurt, Germany.
"We're fortunate with Coach Belichick we have a roadmap of what works," Kerr says. "It's like one big puzzle; it's the challenge of getting all the pieces to fall into place. With international games, there is a lot more logistics and planning. But we have a template that works."
The Tar Heels' traveling party of some 260 players, coaches, support staff and university administrators will travel to Dublin on Wednesday of game week and be headquartered in a downtown hotel. They will return home on Sunday and have an open date the next week so plenty of time to recover and adjust before playing East Tennessee State at noon in Kenan Stadium on Sept. 12.
Bubba Cunningham was on the athletics administrative staff at Notre Dame in 1996 when the Irish played Navy in what was then known as the Shamrock Classic. While athletic director at Carolina from 2011 until his transition into an advisory role in July 2026, he always had his eye on the possibility of the Tar Heels playing in Dublin.
"It was a great experience," Cunningham says. "It was fun for the team and the fans. The Irish people were very welcoming, and we had a taste of their way of life. I always remembered that. Many of our teams will have an international experience at some point during a student-athlete's career, but with football we never had this opportunity. The stars aligned this year for us and TCU to take a game there, and I'm excited for what our team and fans have in store."
The excitement of the adventure crackled through the Tar Heel roster throughout August training camp. One, the Tar Heels are committed to bouncing back in year two of the Belichick regime. And two, a four-day trip to play in a foreign country engenders a sense of adventure you don't get from most season openers.
"I've never played football outside the United States," says running back Demon June, a key part of the offense last season. "It's a blessing to have the opportunity to go with guys you've put in all the work over winter, spring, the offseason. We get to go overseas and play the game we love."
"I've never been out of the country, that's the case for a lot of these guys," says linebacker Coleman Bryson, a transfer from Minnesota. "To go somewhere like Ireland and play in a place foreign to us is a cool experience. A lot of guys watched the Week Zero game a year ago. It's a different stadium, a different country, a different crowd. It will be a memory for a lifetime."
The transition of Belichick moving from the NFL to college football is now complete at 18 months. The team is settled with the roster essentially what it was coming out of spring practice. The addition of first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to the staff augers well for the Tar Heels having a more productive group moving the ball and scoring points.
"I love our chemistry, that stands out more than anything," Bryson says. "We play for each other, and we play together and we have one common goal—and that is to win. We're full speed ahead on that."
"I'm loving what I'm seeing so far," adds Jaiden Patterson, a starter last year at cornerback. "Everyone has worked hard, we're coming together like a big family. We shut out the outside noise and focus on getting better. We've put in a lot of work since last year. I'm anxious to see it play out."
Lee Pace (Carolina 1979) has written about Tar Heel football under the Extra Points banner since 1990. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him @LeePaceTweet.
Players Mentioned
Defensive Back
/ Football
Running Back
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Defensive Back
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Saturday, August 22