Report: Bill Belichick to Become Head Coach at North Carolina

Rumors surfaced last week that Bill Belichick had talked to the University of North Carolina about running their football program. Belichick discussed the possibility, and how he would run the program, on “The Pat McAfee Show” after that report surfaced. On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Belichick was finalizing a deal to make him the new head coach of the Tar Heels.

Belichick has never coached in the college ranks, even as an assistant. His first official job in football came as an assistant on the 1975 Baltimore Colts. Belichick remained employed in the NFL continuously until he was fired by the New England Patriots following the 2023 season.

Bill Belichick has compiled a 302-165 regular season record as an NFL head coach. This includes a 266-121 record during his 24 seasons in New England. Belichick went 31-13 in the postseason (30-12 with the Patriots). He helped the New England Patriots win 16 AFC East titles, nine AFC Championships, and six Super Bowls. Belichick won two more Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants.

Also Read – New England Patriots All-Time Staff and Roster of the Bill Belichick Era

North Carolina Tar Heels

UNC finished the 2024 season 6-6, 3-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tar Heels fired College Football Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown, who was in his second stint at North Carolina, on Nov. 26. It is one of the head coaching positions, college or pro, where the teams gets a younger head coach by hiring Bill Belichick. Brown is 73, while Belichick is 72.

When discussing the possibility of becoming a college head coach on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick said he would run it like an NFL program. But the key work of his explaination appeared to be the word “if” when discussing the job.

“Let me put this in capital letters, IF I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick explained. “It would be a professional program. Training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football.”

If reports are accurate, Bill Belichick will now look to make that hypothetical program a reality. The North Carolina Tar Heels go from a football program that has not been ranked in the final top ten nationally since 1997 to a potential destination for blue chip prospects. With the transfer portal changing the landscape of college football, how quickly can Belichick turn the program into an NFL-feeding factory and CFB Playoff contender? Stay tuned.