For the quarter-and-a-half of Saturday’s between North Carolina and Clemson, it looked like Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels were going to run away with a victory over Dabo Swinney’s Tigers. UNC jumped out to a 17-6 lead by halftime, and Clemson struggled to move the chains in quarterback Tait Reynolds’ first start of the season. However, Clemson rallied in the second half as Reynolds led scoring drives 92, 68, and 44 yards to save the Tigers from a disastrous 1-2 start.
It was also the first loss of the year for Belichick, who led the Tar Heels to back-to-back wins over TCU and East Tennessee State to begin the year. After the game, Swinney and Belichick met on the field for their postgame handshake, and their interaction was awkward to say the least. The clip went viral, garnering nearly 1 million views in less than seven hours.
Swinney clearly expected more of an embrace than what he got as Belichick shook hands and quickly turned away. The interaction lasted all of two seconds. Belichick’s cold demeanor isn’t a surprise at this point, but his seeming show of disrespect toward Swinney drew some backlash from fans on social media.
He will be an ex football coach starting 2027,” a third fan scoffed. Humility would tell him it wasn’t just him,” one user remarked. Saturday’s win likely cooled the talk about Swinney’s job for now.
The two-time national champion coach has been on the hot seat for the last few seasons after he posted a 26-14 record since 2023 heading into this season. Belichick, on the other hand, is believed to be on this ice. He went 4-8 in his first year in Chapel Hill, and though he’s only 2-1 this year, many believe he’s close to being fired after the resignations of former UNC general manager Michael Lombardi and former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, Bill’s son.
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