Bill Belichick is returning to coaching, but not where most people would have expected.
The former New England Patriots head coach will be the next head football coach at the University of North Carolina, the school announced Wednesday. Belichick's contract is for five years, per the school.
"We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking," North Carolina director of athletics Bubba Cunningham said in a press release.
"Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win -- today and in the future. At Carolina, we believe in providing championship opportunities and the best experience possible for our student-athletes, and Coach Belichick shares that commitment. We are excited to welcome him to Chapel Hill."
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Rumors first surfaced last week about Belichick interviewing for the UNC opening. North Carolina fired previous head coach Mack Brown on Nov. 26.
Belichick, who's 72 years old, takes over a Tar Heels program that finished 12th out of 16 teams in the ACC standings with a 6-6 record (3-5 in conference play) this past season. North Carolina's last postseason win came in 2019 when it defeated Temple 55-13 in the Military Bowl. North Carolina will play UConn in the Fenway Bowl at Fenway Park on Dec. 28.
Bill Belichick will be back on the sidelines in 2025. Fascinated to see how he adapts, how he structures his staff, how active he is in recruiting.
— Phil Perry (@PhilAPerry) December 11, 2024
For many who’ve worked for Belichick, the idea felt far-fetched when his interest in the job was initially reported. Now a reality. https://t.co/nuAUS6O5DG
NCAAF
What kind of program might Belichick run in North Carolina? Here's what he said Monday on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show:
"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that have the ability to play in the NFL," Belichick told McAfee. "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, whether that's the end of their college career or the end of their pro career. It would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that. It would be life skills, regardless of whether they're in the NFL or somewhere in business.
"I feel very confident I have the contacts in the NFL to pave the way for those players that would have the ability to have the opportunity to compete in the NFL. Whether they're good enough or not, I don't know, but they would be ready for it -- I don't have any doubt about that. That would be the first comment I would make relative to the structure of the program. It would be an NFL program but not at the NFL level."
Belichick and the New England Patriots mutually parted ways in January of 2023 after he spent 24 seasons as head coach in Foxboro, a run that included six Super Bowl championships in nine appearances. He also won two Super Bowl rings as New York Giants defensive coordinator in the 1980s.
It's definitely a surprise that Belichick is going to coach in college and not the pros. He has many decades of coaching experience, but none of it has come from the college ranks.
Belichick is just 15 victories away from breaking Don Shula's all-time NFL head coaching wins record (regular season and playoffs). Belichick already owns the all-time playoff wins record by a head coach with 31.
Belichick interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons head coach position in early 2024 before Raheem Morris ultimately got the job.
