Bill Belichick to Take College Plunge at North Carolina

Bill Belichick is on to Chapel Hill. 

The legendary NFL coach will be the next head coach at North Carolina, the school announced Wednesday. The former Patriots coach is expected to sign a five-year deal pending approval by the university’s board of trustees.

Why North Carolina?

Belichick, who has never coached at the college level but said that he has “always wanted to,” took multiple meetings with school officials over the past couple of weeks before accepting the job. Skeptics pointed to Belichick’s disciplinarian style and lack of college experience, especially in the modern era of NIL (name, image, and likeness) payments and the transfer portal. 

But those two elements have also bridged the gap between the college and professional landscapes, which could be a plus for Belichick, who also served as the Patriots’ GM while coaching. 

The 72-year-old will replace Mack Brown, who had two stints at UNC that totaled 16 seasons. Belichick is just a year younger than Brown. Belichick’s father, Steve, was an assistant coach at the school from 1953 to 1955 before embarking on a 33-year stint at Navy. 

As far as Belichick’s competition, other candidates the Tar Heels were reportedly considering during their search included Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann, Army head coach Jeff Monken, Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and former NFL coach Steve Wilks. Perhaps the biggest contrast, however, came down to the other finalist: Adam Schefter reports 32-year-old Browns assistant Tommy Rees was considered the favorite had the Belichick deal not been finalized. 

Can Belichick Win in the NIL Era?

On Pat McAfee’s show Monday, Belichick elaborated on his vision for a college program, should he be given the chance to run one. He’s also been brushing up on the ins and outs of NIL as well as the transfer portal, according to ESPN. 

“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL,” Belichick said, emphasizing if. “It would be a professional program with training, nutrition, scheme, and coaching techniques that would transfer to the NFL. … I feel very confident that I have the contacts in the NFL to pave the way for those players who would have the ability to compete in the NFL. They would be ready for it. It would be an NFL program, but not at the NFL level.

“It would be geared toward developing time management, discipline, structure, and life skills, regardless of whether it’s for the NFL or somewhere in business.”

Michael Lombardi, a longtime NFL executive and more recently a media personality and podcast host, will join Belichick in Chapel Hill and serve as the general manager of the Tar Heels football program. It’s worth noting that UNC, in its push to land Belichick, is increasing its NIL budget for football from $4 million to as much as $20 million, according to USA Today.

Will Age Be a Factor?

Belichick’s deal, as noted above, is for five years— which means he’ll be 77 at the end of the term. USA Today compiled a list of the oldest coaches in FBS as of Wednesday, and at 72, Belichick will be the oldest. 

• Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz: 69
• Temple’s K.C. Keeler: 65
• Utah’s Kyle Whittingham: 65
• Houston’s Willie Fritz: 64
• Indiana’s Curt Cignetti: 63
• LSU’s Brian Kelly: 63 
• UConn’s Jim Mora: 63
• Arkansas’ Sam Pittman: 63
• Colorado State’s Jay Norvell: 61

During one of his weekly radio interviews this week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he doesn’t think age will be a factor with Belichick.

“He’s got a lot of gas left in his tank—a lot,” Jones said. “Bill Belichick could run a major company very effectively, and he’s just got that leadership ability. … No one knows more football or how to execute and use that to win a ball game than Bill Belichick.”

Former Tar Heel great and NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor shared a similar sentiment. 

“UNC stock has just gone up!!!” Taylor wrote in a text exchange with longtime NFL beat writer Gary Myers, noting that he and Belichick had been talking about the job “the last couple of days.”

Belichick has spent the 2024 season working in various football media roles after a 24-year run in New England, where he won six Super Bowls alongside Tom Brady.