Like Bill Belichick, these NFL coaches went ‘back to school' for NCAA football

Bill Belichick, 72, is going back to school.

After a year away from coaching following a lengthy and successful run with the New England Patriots that solidified him as one of the NFL's greats, Belichick is headed to college football.

Belichick agreed to become the next head coach of the University of North Carolina, making him the next major name to switch from the pros to the college level.

These are some of the marquee names who went back to school after achieving success in the big leagues:

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots to UNC:

Belichick tops the list given his resume in the NFL. He collected six Super Bowls with the Patriots, all coming with Tom Brady under center. He also won an additional two Super Bowl titles as an assistant with the New York Giants.

What's intriguing is Belichick has never coached at the college level, so it'll be new territory for a coach who's used to a different level of talent. From quality of depth to recruitment and more, it'll be a chapter of the coach's journey plenty will curiously follow.

Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers to Michigan:

The 49ers were enduring years of hardship before finally luring Harbaugh away from Stanford and closer to the heart of San Francisco. Harbaugh helped instill a distinct culture to the team, culminating in a Super Bowl appearance in which it lost to the Baltimore Ravens, coached by Harbaugh's older brother, John.

Harbaugh eventually returned to the coaching scene with Michigan, where inconsistency in big games plagued the Wolverines before they finally won the National Championship in the 2023-24 season. Harbaugh was under controversy for that run, however, after being embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal.

The following offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers made the call to bring him back to the pros.

Pete Carroll, New England Patriots to USC:

Before moving to the Pacific Northwest and helping create the "Legion of Boom," Carroll was down south in Los Angeles. As the Trojans head coach, Carroll put together a 97-19 record with two national titles and four Rose Bowl triumphs.

But prior to his 2001-09 USC run, Carroll was the Patriots' head coach from 1997-99, going 27-21 with two playoff appearances.

With the Seattle Seahawks, he won one Super Bowl in a rout of the Denver Broncos, but fell short of a second against...Belichick and Brady.

Nick Saban, Miami Dolphins to Alabama:

Saban is one of college football's best-ever coaches, but his Alabama run didn't get underway until after a short stint of leading the Miami Dolphins. In two seasons (2005-06), Saban went 9-7 and 6-10, but was near the top of the Crimson Tide's wish list after Mike Shula's departure.

Once Miami's season ended in 2006, Saban took up the Alabama post and the rest was history. His record there includes six national titles.

Lane Kiffin, Oakland Raiders to Tennessee:

Kiffin, a quarterback at Fresno State, developed as an offensive positions coach with USC from 2001 to 2006 before landing a head coaching role with the Oakland Raiders in 2007. He became the franchise's youngest head coach at the time, but it didn't last more than a month into his second season.

After going 4-12 in his first season, owner Al Davis reportedly tried to force Kiffin to resign. At 1-3 in 2008, the firing eventually happened. Kiffin has since held various head coaching jobs throughout the college landscape, most notably USC and currently Ole Miss.

Bill O'Brien, New England Patriots to Penn State:

O'Brien held different offensive roles with the Patriots from 2007 to 2011, when he became offensive coordinator. He then joined Penn State in 2012 after Joe Paterno was dismissed amid a child sex abuse scandal.

Just a season in, he interviewed with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles but decided to stay with Penn State for another year. After going 7-5, he then took up an offer from the Houston Texans in 2014 and stayed until 2020 without any major accolades.

Jim L. Mora, Seattle Seahawks to UCLA:

Mora, who played as a defensive back and linebacker at Washington from 1980-83, was the Atlanta Falcons' head coach from 2004-06 and spent one year in the role with Seattle in 2009. He didn't have the best track record in the NFL, but UCLA hired him in 2012.

With the Bruins, Mora went 46-30, winning the Pac-12 title in his first season. But he didn't add any more trophies to their cabinet by 2017, when both sides moved on. Mora has been UConn's head coach since 2022.