CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina coach Bill Belichick and football general manager Mike Lombardi no doubt did a double take while coming across a name as they reviewed on their inherited roster.
MARCUS ALLEN.
Of course, they knew it wasn’t the real Marcus Allen – the College and Pro Football Hall of Famer who earned a trifecta of college and NFL awards: Heisman Trophy, a Super Bowl MVP and NFL MVP.
But Allen’s name stops any football person’s eyes for a moment. The late NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer, who coached Allen on the Kansas City Chiefs’ roster and against him many times, said Allen was the game’s greatest all-around back.
Jim Brown might be the best runner and Marshall Faulk the best receiver out of the backfield, but no one combined Allen’s ability to run, catch, run block and pass block. Allen learned blocking as a USC fullback for 1979 Heisman Trophy winner Charles White and then won the Heisman as the Trojans’ tailback in 1981.
North Carolina’s Marcus Allen, who is a 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior entering his third year as a starting cornerback, grinned when asked about his name while exiting a media session following UNC’s first practice last weekend at Kenan Stadium. He likely knows more about the 16-year NFL veteran whose final NFL season in 1997 was long before the Gen Z Tar Heels were born.
“My Dad says it’s just a coincidence,” Allen said. “I’d like to meet him some day.”
That might have been more likely when Allen worked in the media. But if North Carolina’s Allen puts together a strong season and helps the Tar Heels do the same, UNC’s Super Bowl champion coach possesses celebrity pull.
Another way to attract the Hall-of-Famer’s attention in the future would be to make it to the NFL. Matching Allen’s feats is too much to ask, of course, but he can learn to mimic his versatility and reliability.
“I’m approaching 100 percent to work on my craft and work on the little things that held me back last year and ultimately go out there and make plays,” Allen said. “I know what I can do. I have to go out there and make plays.”
Allen was a 4-star recruit of Walton High in Marietta, Georgia, under Mack Brown in 2022. Three years later his experience leads North Carolina’s returning defensive players. The UNC secondary also benefits from the transfer of Thaddeus Dixon, a senior cornerback who followed defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, the head coach’s son, from the University of Washington to Chapel Hill.
Dixon played for the Huskies in the 2023 season when the Huskies advanced to the College Football Playoff, beating Texas in the semifinals and losing to Michigan in the final. Steve was coaching under his father in 2023 with the New England Patriots before serving as Washington’s defensive coordinator in 2024.
“Thad brings a lot of energy and confidence,” Allen said. “Having him on the other side of the field and knowing that side of the field is taken care helps us partner to push each other. If one of us is messing up, we hold each other accountable and make sure we’re doing it right to help our team.”
Allen said communication has been an emphasis since the Belichick and his staff took over program on the practice field for spring football. The secondary players are working with three Belichicks. In addition to Steve, Bill’s son Brian coaches the safeties.
“All three of them are different characters,” Allen said. “Steve has a lot of NFL experience and knows defenses well. He knows what best positions to put us in to win. Brian is a master mind who knows everything going on with the defense. Having them together allows us to be a better defense, to make smarter calls and to make more plays.”
And it helps to have Marcus Allen to build around.
-30-
I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
