Michael Lombardi has one of the top salaries in college football

The North Carolina Tar Heels , desperately hoping to escape college football mediocrity , spent countless money to upgrade their program last offseason.

UNC started by hiring Bill Belichick , an 8-time Super Bowl Champion with no prior collegiate experience, to be its next head coach. Belichick currently has a 5-year contract worth $50 million, but some fans want him out after another slow start in Chapel Hill.

After hiring Belichick, one of North Carolina's first moves was naming Michael Lombardi the football program's general manager.

Lombardi, a longtime NFL executive who previously worked with Belichick in New England , carries a $1,510,000 salary. This is the highest figure amongst college football GMs , according to recent data obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

In addition to Lombardi's salary, he has a maximum bonus of $502,500. If the Tar Heels change course and hard reset their football program, Lombardi's buyout is $3,187,500 – also the highest amongst GMs.

Anyone surprised that Lombardi is making more than GMs of more established, Power Four programs like Ohio State , LSU and Alabama ? This means that UNC, despite its early-season struggles, is truly invested in becoming a solid football program.

North Carolina's next test is a Saturday afternoon clash with Virginia , one of the ACC's greatest surprises. The Cavaliers (6-1, 3-0 ACC), ranked 16th in the latest AP Poll, are one of three undefeated teams in conference play (Georgia Tech, SMU).

The Tar Heels turned in their best game for a losing effort last week, with a late fumble proving costly during a 21-18 defeat at Cal . Can UNC do the unthinkable this weekend?

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC's Michael Lombardi has highest GM salary in college football