Top 5 Patriots Who Played for the North Carolina Tar Heels

Bill Belichick did not stay away from coaching for long. After 49 years working on the staffs of various NFL teams, 2024 was the first season since 1974 that Belichick was not coaching It was announced on Wednesday that Belichick will be back in 2025 as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Belichick coached the greatest North Carolina player of all time in the NFL. He overlapped with legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor for eight seasons with the New York Giants. Belichick refers to Taylor as the greatest defensive player in NFL history. The pair helped the Giants win two Super Bowls during their time in New York.

Lawrence Taylor was quoted as texting, “UNC stock has just gone up!!!” following the announcement of Bill Belichick taking over at his former school.

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

New England was not fortunate enough to have Lawrence Taylor play for them. However, there have been many Tar Heels to play for the Patriots. That group includes the team’s current starting quarterback, 2024 first-round pick Drake Maye.

A look at the Top 5 Patriots players who played collegiately for North Carolina:

5. Troy Barnett

Robert Kraft purchased the New England Patriots before the 1994 season. His first draft class included Willie McGinest, Max Lane, and Marty Moore, “Mr. Irrelevant” of the 1994 NFL Draft. New England also had three undrafted free agents make the team. That group include North Carolina defensive end Troy Barnett.

Barnett appeared in 14 games as a rookie. He recorded 13 tackles and a sack in a backup role. He played a much larger role for the Patriots in his second season. Barnett played in all 16 games, starting 15. His totals improved to 53 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and a fumble recovery. Despite a significant role in 1994, Barnett did not make the 53-man roster the following season. He was brought back in November of 1995 and played one game before being released a second time.

Troy Barnett finished his time in New England having registered 66 tackles and 3.0 sacks in 31 regular season games. He played in one playoff game with the Patriots, a 20-13 loss in the 1994 Wild Card round to a Cleveland Browns team coached by Bill Belichick.

4. Jimmy Hitchcock

New England selected Hitchcock in the third round (No. 88 overall) of the 1995 NFL Draft. He was the Patriots fourth pick that year and had a tough act to follow. New England drafted Pro Football Hall of Fame cornerback Ty Law (No. 23), linebacker Ted Johnson (No. 57), and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Curtis Martin (No. 74). All would play key roles in helping the Patriots win the 1996 AFC Championship a year later.

Hitchcock played his first three seasons in New England. He played in 36 regular season games, with 20 starts. He recorded 119 tackles, including 83 in 1997. Hitchcock recorded four interceptions, including a 100-yard pick-six off Miami’s Dan Marino. He was inactive for the three postseason games in 1996 but played in two playoff games the following season, recording eight tackles.

Jimmy Hitchcock returned to New England to play one game in 2002 after stints with the Vikings and Panthers.

3. Drake Maye

Is putting a rookie quarterback with eight NFL starts third on this list a bit premature? Quite possibly. That said, Maye has already shown glimpses of being a franchise quarterback for the long haul in Foxboro.

New England drafted Drake Maye third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. He took over the starting job in Week 6 of the season. Maye’s record (2-6) since becoming QB1 does not do justice to how well he has played for the Patriots. In eight starts, Maye has completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,674 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranks second among all quarterbacks in that period with 333 yards rushing.

New England hopes Maye continues to move up these rankings in the coming years, eventually landing at No. 1. It’s too soon to put him there, but not hard to envision that being where he winds up.

2. Ron Wooten

Wooten played his entire eight-year NFL career with the Patriots. New England drafted him in the sixth round (No. 157 overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft. He did not play in his rookie year but became a mainstay on the offensive line over the next seven seasons.

Including the postseason, Wooten played 104 games for the New England Patriots with 102 starts. He started all four postseason games in 1985 when the Patriots won their first AFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl 20 to play the Chicago Bears.

Ron Wooten was selected to the New England Patriots All-Decade Team for the 1980s. The right guard was joined on that squad’s offensive line by left guard John Hannah, center Pete Brock, and offensive tackles Brian Holloway and Bruce Armstrong. He retired at age 29 and embarked on a successful business career.

1. Tim Goad

Topping the list of New England Patriots players who played for the North Carolina Tar Heels is Tim Goad. The defensive lineman is one of the most underrated players of the pre-Belichick Era in New England.

The Patriots drafted Goad in the fourth round (No. 87 overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft. New England’s draft class was led by 1988 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year John Stephens and “The Undertaker” Vincent Brown.

Goad played his first seven NFL seasons in New England. Despite being somewhat undersized for a nose tackle (6-foot-3, 280 pounds), he proved extremely durable. He played 109 consecutive games to begin his professional career. Unfortunately, Goad’s seven seasons in New England were some of the franchise’s least successful, as he never got to play in the playoffs.

Tim Goad recorded 461 tackles and 11.5 sacks in 109 games with the Patriots. His 89 tackles in 1990 remain a franchise record for defensive tackles. Goad’s four seasons with at least 70 tackles is also a Patriots record for defensive tackles. Only five defensive tackles across the league have more seasons with 70-plus tackles since tackles began being tracked by the NFL in 1987.