TCU vs North Carolina: The Coaching Matchups Coming to the Aer Lingus College Football Classic

By Simon Carroll

When TCU and North Carolina meet in Dublin on August 29, much of the attention will naturally fall on the two men standing on the sidelines. Sonny Dykes and Bill Belichick represent two very different coaching backgrounds, philosophies and career paths, making their meeting one of the most intriguing storylines of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

But the battle between the Horned Frogs and Tar Heels will not simply be decided by the two head coaches. Both programs have undergone significant changes on their respective staffs, while several of the assistants involved will have a major influence on what happens when the ball is kicked off at Aviva Stadium.

From two new offensive coordinators to a defensive coordinator who will not be in Dublin, here are the three key coaching battles that will have a huge bearing on which team leaves Ireland with a victory.

Gordon Sammis vs Steve Belichick

This is perhaps the most unfortunate of the three matchups, because it is one that will not actually take place on the Dublin sidelines.

Gordon Sammis was brought to Fort Worth this offseason to replace Kendal Briles as TCU’s offensive coordinator, arriving after three seasons running the offense at UConn. Sammis inherits a Horned Frogs attack that finished 2025 with plenty of momentum, but he also has the opportunity to put his own stamp on an offense that has been built around the principles Sonny Dykes has championed throughout his career.

Dykes has dragged TCU into the 21st century, embracing the Big 12’s offense first mentality for a school that has traditionally won with defense through the Gary Patterson era. That said, he was not happy with the turnovers in 2026. Sammis, notorious for his clock domination and protecting the football, appears to be the perfect balance – particularly with a new quarterback under center.

On the other side, Steve Belichick was supposed to provide one of the most fascinating challenges for Sammis. Belichick’s defensive background is heavily influenced by his years working alongside his father in New England, but he actually headed into the college game first, spending a season as Washington’s defensive coordinator before joining his father at North Carolina.

Unfortunately, Belichick is currently on medical leave and is not with the Tar Heels. Bill Belichick announced the situation on August 6, saying that the program hoped to have his son back “as soon as possible”, while stressing that the defensive staff would continue to work collectively in his absence. There has been no indication that Steve will be back in time for the TCU game, meaning Sammis is preparing to face a defense whose coordinator will be absent from the Emerald Isle/.

That makes this less about Sammis versus Belichick personally and more about how effectively Sammis can exploit an unusual situation. UNC’s defensive staff has had to prepare without its coordinator during the most important stages of preseason preparation, while the responsibility for play-calling and defensive adjustments remains a question. For a new offensive coordinator facing his first game in charge of TCU’s attack, that could represent a significant opportunity.

However, Sammis should be wary. Belichick senior has one of the most astute defensive minds in the history of football, and will be overseeing everything in his son’s absence.

Edge: TCU. Not because Sammis has somehow “beaten” Steve Belichick before the game has even started, but because continuity and clarity of responsibility matter enormously in a season opener. Sammis has spent the summer installing his offense with the same group of players and coaches around him, while UNC has had to adapt to an unexpected change at the heart of its defensive operation.

Andy Avalos vs Bobby Petrino

If the first matchup is defined by an absence, this one is defined by experience.

Bobby Petrino is one of the most recognisable offensive minds in college football and has been brought to Chapel Hill to completely reshape an offense that struggled for consistency during Bill Belichick’s first season. UNC officially announced Petrino as its new offensive coordinator in January, with the veteran coach arriving after serving as Arkansas’ offensive coordinator in 2024 and 2025.

Petrino is a polarising figure within the game, repeatedly leaving places for greener pastures. He comes with some historic baggage, but nobody can deny his offensive acumen. Belichick should be wary though; Petrino tends to find spots where a head coach is on the hotseat, priming himself to step up if needed.

Standing opposite him will be TCU defensive coordinator Andy Avalos, who enters his third season in charge of the Horned Frogs’ defense. While TCU has changed plenty on offense this offseason, there is considerably more continuity on the other side of the ball. Avalos remains in place, as do defensive assistants JaMarkus McFarland, Ken Wilson and Tre Watson, giving the Frogs a familiar defensive structure heading into Dublin.

That could be particularly important against Petrino. One of the biggest questions surrounding UNC is how quickly the Tar Heels can make his system work with their personnel. Petrino has the experience to identify weaknesses and manufacture advantages, but Avalos has the advantage of knowing exactly what his players can do within his system.

This is also where the first game of the season becomes particularly fascinating. Petrino will undoubtedly have a collection of plays and formations designed specifically to test TCU, but Avalos has had the entire offseason to prepare his defense for the possibility of facing a veteran offensive coordinator with a reputation for aggressive play-calling and creative concepts.

The winner may ultimately be the coach who makes the best adjustments after halftime. Petrino has spent decades proving he can find ways to move the football, while Avalos has the continuity and familiarity that can be invaluable when facing a completely new offensive operation.

Edge: TCU, narrowly. Petrino is the more proven offensive schemer, but Avalos’ continuity gives him an advantage in a season opener. If TCU can force UNC into obvious passing situations early, this matchup could tilt heavily towards the Horned Frogs.

Sonny Dykes vs Bill Belichick

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And then there is the big one.

Sonny Dykes versus Bill Belichick is the matchup that will dominate the headlines, and for good reason. One coach has spent decades at the very top of professional football, winning six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots. The other has spent his career establishing himself as one of college football’s most accomplished offensive-minded coaches and has now built TCU into one of the Big 12’s more consistent programs.

Dykes bested Belichick in Week 1 in 2025 with a bruising 48-14 victory in Chapel Hill. Yet the fascinating thing about this matchup is that the résumé battle is not nearly as straightforward as it first appears.

Belichick has the legendary career. There is no argument there. But Dykes has something that Belichick desperately needs at North Carolina: stability. Dykes enters his fifth season in Fort Worth with a 36-17 record, having just guided the Horned Frogs to a 9-4 season and an Alamo Bowl victory over USC.

Belichick, meanwhile, is entering Year Two in Chapel Hill after a difficult first season in which the Tar Heels went 4-8. That record is almost irrelevant when assessing Belichick’s career as a whole, but it matters enormously when assessing where these two programs currently stand.

Belichick’s first season also demonstrated just how different the college game can be from the NFL environment in which he dominated. He has responded by making major changes to his staff, most notably bringing in the aforementioned Petrino in to run the offense. The expectation is that UNC will look considerably different in 2026, and the TCU game will provide an immediate examination of whether those changes have worked.

Dykes, meanwhile, has the luxury of knowing exactly what his program is. He has recruited to his system, developed his staff and built an identity at TCU. The arrival of Sammis and QB Jaden Craig means there is change on offense. But this is still fundamentally Dykes’ program, and that familiarity could be crucial in a game being played thousands of miles from both teams’ campuses.

There is also an intriguing psychological element to the matchup. Belichick has made a career out of identifying what opponents do best and taking it away. Dykes, as an offensive coach, will be trying to create the kind of uncertainty that makes that process difficult. The battle between Dykes’ ability to create offensive answers and Belichick’s ability to remove them could ultimately determine the game.

And that is why this is not simply a battle between two legendary coaches in their own ways and their own rights. It is a clash between experience and continuity, between one of the greatest coaching résumés in football history and a coach who has spent the last four years building a program set to challenge the upper echelons of college football.

Edge: TCU. Belichick’s introduction to college football hasn’t been smooth, but his career demands respect nonetheless – anyone considering him done should be wary. Regardless, Dykes gets the advantage in program stability, familiarity and recent results, not to say a healthy amount of acknowledgement for his own career. If this game comes down to coaching in the final quarter, however, nobody should be surprised if Belichick has a few tricks left that Dykes has not seen coming.

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SIMON CARROLL

HEAD OF CFB/NFL DRAFT CONTENT

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST, IS A COLLEGE FOOTBALL WRITER FOR DAZN AND COVERS THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS FOR SB NATION.

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