Rece Verhoff’s return to UNC lasted 16 days before the Tenth Circuit ruling flipped him from eligible to ineligible again, leaving Bill Belichick and his staff to sort out the kicking duties with the season almost here.
Just over two weeks ago, Verhoff had been granted a fifth season of eligibility and chose to come back to Chapel Hill. UNC expected him to be part of the special teams plan and was already using social media to announce his return, but that plan changed when the Tenth Circuit ruling effectively overturned Judge Sweeney's nationwide injunction.
The ruling was aimed at college basketball players, but it reached college football players too. In that broader shift, Verhoff became one of the athletes caught in the middle, and his status changed from eligible to ineligible in 16 days. The timing could hardly be worse for UNC, which is less than a week from its season opener in Ireland against TCU.
That leaves Belichick and his staff trying to figure out how to proceed with a special teams unit that was supposed to have more certainty by now. Aeron Burrell and David Green are likely to factor into UNC's kicking duties to begin the 2026 season, while it remains unknown whether Verhoff will pursue a lawsuit of his own. Around the country, student-athletes denied an additional season of competition are scrambling to file lawsuits, but for UNC the immediate issue is simpler and more urgent: who takes the kicks first.
