North Carolina placed general manager Michael Lombardi on paid administrative leave this morning — effective immediately, weeks before the season. UNC gave no reason, and no reporter has one, so this video doesn't speculate about it. What it does do is go through what's already on the record. In October 2023, Lombardi said Mario Cristobal was beyond saving: "There is coaching malpractice, and then there is coaching malpractice squared… you cannot cure this." In December 2024, two days after taking the highest-paid GM job in college football, he said Miami had "been wonderful in recruiting" but couldn't "get to the final 12" — that Cristobal collects talent and can't build a team. Nineteen months later: Miami went 13-3, finished No. 2, beat the defending champions in the playoff, played for a national title in its own stadium, and had nine play ...