Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Bill Belichick’s first year at North Carolina was one of the top storylines to keep an eye on heading into the current season, and that is still the case for all of the wrong reasons due to what’s unfolded since the Tar Heels took the field. Now, we’ve been treated to yet another twist after running back Caleb Hood abruptly retired in the middle of the campaign.
It was hard not to be intrigued by North Carolina’s decision to lure Bill Belichick out of retirement to replace Mack Brown after the latter saw his second stint in Chapel Hill come to an end after six largely unremarkable seasons.
The program found itself at the center of plenty of drama leading up to Belichick’s first season at the helm thanks in no small part to Jordon Hudson’s ability to insert herself into the proceedings, and there was really no telling what to expect from the legendary NFL coach who was making his debut at the college level at the age of 73.
To say things have not exactly gotten off to a stellar start would be an understatement, as UNC is sitting at 2-3—a record that isn’t really reflective of just how poorly things have gone. There’s already a ton of speculation that Belichick won’t even make it through the season, and one of his players has announced he won’t be doing that himself after deciding to hang up his cleats.
UNC running back Caleb Hood has decided to retire from football in the middle of a tumultuous senior season
Freshman running back Demon June has been the primary ball carrier for the Tar Heels this season, and he’s been backed up by a trio of running backs that consists of Benjamin Hall, Davion Gause, and Caleb Hood.
The last member of that group has been relegated to a backup role during the five seasons he’s spent at North Carolina, and he’s racked up 16 carries for 44 yards in the four games he appeared in this year. However, the lion’s share of those stats came when he got 10 touches during the season opener against TCU, and he only had a single rush for -2 yards when UNC got demolished by Clemson last weekend.
On Friday, Hood announced his decision to call it quits in an Instagram post where he said he was retiring from football for good while thanking Belichick and the other coaches he’s worked with.
It would be unfair to frame this as a rat fleeing a sinking ship when you consider his usage (or lack thereof) would appear to be the primary culprit, but it’s still hard to ignore the fact that Hood didn’t decide to stick it out for a couple more months.