ACC Football

UNC is hiring Bill Belichick to be its next head coach, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

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Former #Patriots coach Bill Belichick, the greatest coach of all time, will become the next coach at the University of North Carolina, sources say. The deal is done.

From Super Bowls to college football. Just like Bill Walsh. Just like Deion Sanders. Now, Belichick. pic.twitter.com/OtY4Ekbqgv

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 11, 2024

Belichick takes over a UNC team that's gone 6-6 (3-5 in ACC) in 2024 with the Fenway Bowl against UConn remaining. The Tar Heels previously announced that this would be head coach Mack Brown's final season. Interim coach Freddie Kitchens will lead UNC in its final 2024 contest, which will take place on Dec. 28.

Belichick, who won two Super Bowls as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator before adding six more Lombardi Trophies as the New England Patriots' head coach, has a lot of work to do.

UNC is last (17th) in the ACC in 247Sports' listing of class of 2025 recruits. Of course, it's not uncommon whatsoever for less-heralded recruits to shine in college, but Belichick will likely hit the recruiting trail and transfer portal pretty hard.

He does have talent to work with, of course. The 2025 group is led by an exciting talent in 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker, the 13th-ranked player at his position in his class. He is one of two hard commits, with 3-star edge-rusher Austin Alexander being the other one.

The 2024 UNC depth chart is available here via Tar Heel Times.

Obviously, there's plenty of work to be done on the 2025 UNC roster, but here's a look at what a two-deep depth chart could potentially look like next season (at the moment), removing departing players (either due to an exhaustion of eligibility or the transfer portal) and adding some recruits.

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Quarterback: Freshman Bryce Baker, TBD

Running Back: Senior Omarion Hampton, Sophomore Davion Gause

Wide Receiver: Sophomore Paul Billups, Sophomore Jordan Shipp

Wide Receiver: Junior Kobe Paysour, Freshman Javarius Green

Wide Receiver: Freshman Christian Hamilton, Sophomore Chris Culliver

Tight End: Sophomore Jake Johnson

Left Tackle: TBD

Left Guard: Senior Malik McGowan, Freshman Trey Blue

Center: TBD

Right Guard: Sophomore Zach Rice, Freshman Byron Nelson

Right Tackle: Junior Trevyon Green, Sophomore Jani Norwood

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Defense

End: Junior Beau Atkinson, Freshman Austin Alexander

Nose: Sophomore Joel Starlings, TBD

Tackle: Sophomore Rodney Lora

Rush: Sophomore Tyler Thompson, Sophomore Jaybron Harvey

Linebacker (Mike): Sophomore Ashton Woods, Junior Michael Short

Linebacker (Will): Sophomore Caleb LaVallee, Junior Cade Law

Cornerback: Senior Marcus Allen, Senior Tyrane Stewart

Free Safety: Senior DeAndre Boykins, Freshman Javion Butts

Strong Safety: Senior Will Hardy, Sophomore Malcolm Ziglar

Cornerback: Sophomore Ty Adams, Sophomore Zion Ferguson

Star: Junior Kaleb Cost, Sophomore Tre Miller

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Special Teams

Kicker: Junior Liam Boyd, Sophomore Lucas Osada

Punter: Senior Tom Maginness, Sophomore Lucas Osada

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Belichick is a defensive coach, so he'll be a good fit on a team that needs its most work on that side of the ball. UNC finished 91st in Division I FBS in scoring defense last year, including allowing 70 points against James Madison.

The Tar Heels also notably finished 3-5 in conference despite facing a weaker conference schedule in which they avoided 8-0 SMU, 7-1 Clemson and 6-2 Miami, the league's top three teams.

So Belichick arrives in Chapel Hill with much to address, but he has one of the best coaching resumes in sports history and can certainly turn this team around.

Bill Belichick is heading to the college game after all.

The legendary head coach is filling the vacancy at North Carolina after rumors had linked him to the Tar Heels for the past week.

Welcome to Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick!

The eight-time Super Bowl Champion has officially been named our next @UNCFootball Head Coach. #GoHeels x #ChapelBill pic.twitter.com/cnngQI7gnC

— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) December 12, 2024

Excited is an understatement 🤩#CarolinaFootball | #ChapelBill pic.twitter.com/aTCTO8fiea

— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) December 12, 2024

And that had fans and pundits alike at the NFL and college levels fairly stunned:

Can’t wait to see BB on the recruiting trail pic.twitter.com/6KBAtPEVN8

— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) December 11, 2024

It’s going to be soo weird seeing Bill Belichick on the sidelines of a college program 😂😂

— #TittyEverydays Dms Open 👀 (@Tha_MikeB_Show) December 11, 2024

i can’t make sense of belichick going to unc.

— alex (@alexespinoza4l) December 11, 2024

Bill Belichick going from a top 5 NFL franchise to a mid-tier ACC college football school should be studied. It makes no sense to me.

— Analytics Capper (@AnalyticsCapper) December 11, 2024

Losing my mind thinking of Belichick doing photoshoots with recruits.

— Michael Katz (@MichaelLKatz) December 11, 2024

I don’t believe Belichick will thrive in the college setting tbh. But we’ll see

— Darien (ChillTakes) (@chilltakes_) December 11, 2024

Belichick to UNC makes zero sense. Tom Brady got any eligibility left?

— MikeBell929 (@MikeBellATL) December 11, 2024

I never thought being the head football coach at a basketball school is how Bill Belichick would finish his career. Wild.

— Mike Muad'Dib (@Zepp1978) December 11, 2024

There are countless questions about the fit between Belichick and North Carolina.

How will a coach who worked in the NFL for parts of five decades adjust to the college game or the demands of recruiting? Will his coaching methods translate with kids in the same way they did with professionals? Will North Carolina be able to compete with other major football programs on the NIL front, given the resources that go to the men's basketball team?

Belichick has been lining up potential staff members to go with him for days and also exploring possible portal additions. The portal opened Monday. https://t.co/WWVx52fyJc

— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 11, 2024

Sources with @BrendanRMarks : UNC's deal with Bill Belichick is for 3 years, $30 million.

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) December 11, 2024

Bill Belichick makes Heel turn, and goes to UNC. Fascinated to see how this plays out. Can sell players on no one developing them better for NFL. But staff will be important because I don't see him spearheading the recruiting. Obviously, he loves to coach. It is in his blood. And…

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 11, 2024

But seriously if Belichick can win the Duke's Mayo Bowl at some point, it will finally prove that it was never about Tom Brady.

— Andy Behrens (@andybehrens) December 11, 2024

Let’s be real here nobody wanted to hire Bill Belichick in the NFL.

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 11, 2024

There's no doubt that he's a major splash as a hire, and his name-brand appeal and the pedigree of being a six-time champion as an NFL head coach should aid in recruiting. More than likely, he'll delegate many of the recruiting obligations to his staff, instead focusing on program-building and Xs and Os.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show earlier in the week, he laid out his vision for leading a college program.

"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," he said. "It would be a professional program—training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL."

Bill Belichick emphasized "IF" he was coaching in a college program, it would be "a professional program." 👀 @PatMcAfeeShow

"The college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that have the ability to play in the NFL." pic.twitter.com/p2raPzm2DN

— ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2024

Bill Belichick’s approach to North Carolina sounds a lot like what Herm Edwards said when he got the Arizona State gig

— Barrett Sallee 🇺🇸 (@BarrettSallee) December 11, 2024

Belichick now becomes the most intriguing and high-profile college coach outside of Deion Sanders. While it's unlikely he'll turn North Carolina's sideline into a celebrity-sighting bonanza like Colorado, the Tar Heels are now a team to watch going forward, if only to see if Belichick can come anywhere close to replicating his NFL success.

Legendary head coach Bill Belichick will be returning to the sidelines in 2025, but he won't be doing so in the NFL.

Belichick has agreed to a five-year deal to take over as head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, the program announced Wednesday.

According to The Athletic's Brendan Marks, the deal is worth $50 million over five years.

"I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times," Belichick said in a press release. "I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill."

Welcome to Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick!

The eight-time Super Bowl Champion has officially been named our next @UNCFootball Head Coach. #GoHeels x #ChapelBill pic.twitter.com/cnngQI7gnC

— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) December 12, 2024

The news comes after ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pete Thamel and Chris Low, reported that Belichick was "finalizing a deal" to become UNC's next head coach.

Michael Lombardi, a former NFL general manager who worked with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns, will also join Belichick at UNC as the program's general manager.

"I'm excited to join Coach Belichick at North Carolina," Lombardi said, per Bill Adee of VSiN. "Although leaving my VSIN family will be hard, I'm excited to return to helping build a winning program. I'm forever thankful for all the great people at VSIN, especially Bill Adee and the Musburger family."

The deal comes after a week of rumors linking Belichick to the job opening for the Tar Heels, who fired head coach Mack Brown after their 6-6 finish to the 2024 season. Brown, who was in his second stint as UNC head coach, led the team to a combined 44-33 record over the last six seasons with five bowl game appearances.

Adam Smith of 247Sports reported on Wednesday that UNC was finalizing a contract for Belichick, with the school's Board of Trustees scheduling an emergency meeting to approve the hire. It apparently didn't take long for the 72-year-old to be brought in to lead a new era for the Tar Heels.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest football coaches of all time, Belichick is a six-time Super Bowl champion from his iconic run with the Patriots and also earned two more Super Bowl rings as an assistant under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants. His 333 career NFL wins rank second in league history behind Don Shula's 347.

However, Belichick surprisingly wasn't hired by an NFL team after parting ways with the Patriots at the end of the 2023 season following his 24-year tenure. He garnered little interest on the open market, with his only known interview being with the Atlanta Falcons before they hired Raheem Morris as head coach. He spent the 2024 season working as an NFL broadcaster and analyst for multiple networks.

Now, Belichick will be embarking on a new challenge as he tries his hand at coaching in college for the first time in his career. His father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at Navy for 34 years and had stints as an assistant at UNC and Vanderbilt. Bill's eldest son, Stephen Belichick, spent the 2024 season as defensive coordinator at Washington following a 12-year run on the Patriots staff working under his dad.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Belichick navigates the constantly shifting landscape of college football, where NIL rules, transfer portal changes and conference realignment have created new challenges for coaches.

However, it's clear that Belichick was ready to return to coaching, and UNC gave him the opportunity to get back to doing what he does best.

NC State quarterback CJ Bailey isn't sweating Bill Belichick reportedly becoming the head football coach of North Carolina, citing the Wolf Pack's four-game winning streak against the Tar Heels.

NC State QB CJ Bailey on the potential hiring of Bill Belichick as the next UNC head coach:

“Bill Belichick can get it, too. … No matter who the coach is for UNC, we’re gonna kick them.”

🎥: https://t.co/67vMF5Q7dN pic.twitter.com/FJWyc9mKmu

— Cory Smith (@RCorySmith) December 11, 2024

Chapel Bill: six-time Super-Bowl-winning head coach Bill Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach at North Carolina, sources tell me, @PeteThamel and @ClowESPN.

Belichick is going back to school, to where his father served as an assistant coach in the 1950s. pic.twitter.com/tcx7x00Alp

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2024

He added that it would be a cool experience playing against the legendary head coach, however.

"That means a lot that I could play against Belichick, meet him," he said. "But shoot, if he comes to play, we gonna kill 'em. We gonna kill 'em."

NC State's dominance in the rivalry goes back further than that, with seven wins in the past nine meetings, though North Carolina leads the all-time series by a 68-40-6 mark.

Bailey, only a freshman, will be seeing plenty of Belichick in the years to come. The young quarterback had a solid debut season, throwing for 2,183 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 64.1 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 255 yards and another five scores.

He threw for 242 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 35-30 win over the Tar Heels on Nov. 30, rushing for 54 yards. He was sacked three times but led a 75-yard touchdown drive to give the Wolfpack the lead for good with just 25 seconds remaining, keeping them bowl eligible.

"These kids just get up and fight—these grown men get up and fight, and I'm proud of them," head coach Dave Doeren told reporters at the time. "Every time they made a play on their sideline, we responded with a play on our sideline."

Because of that win, NC State will face East Carolina in the Military Bowl.

Bailey's comments on Wednesday, alongside Belichick's hiring, will only add fuel to a rivalry that included a post-game scrap between the teams when NC State tried to plant its flag at midfield on North Carolina's field.

Belichick will be tasked with ensuring North Carolina doesn't let that happen again, though Bailey and the Wolfpack have other plans.

North Carolina is finalizing a contract that will make Bill Belichick the Tar Heels' next head coach, but there remain "issues that both sides need to work through," according to ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Low.

Topics yet to be resolved include a job for Belichick's son, Stephen Belichick, as well as NIL funding, staff salary and North Carolina's "reporting structure," per Thamel and Low.

Despite these issues, there is "a growing sentiment within UNC the deal is close," per CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones.

North Carolina and Belichick have "worked through financial terms the last 24 hours, in hopes a deal gets done today," according to Pat Forde and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

UNC would need to convene an emergency board of trustees meeting in order to approve any final contract. The meeting had not been called as of 3 p.m. ET, per Forde.

According to Thamel and Low, sources said the ball is currently "in Belichick's court."

Thamel and Low reported that North Carolina's NIL collective has "hypothetically discussed players' potential interest in anticipation of Belichick taking the job."

The Tar Heels are currently hoping to replenish a roster left thin after three starters entered the transfer portal on Monday, as well as resolve the uncertainty plaguing the future of the program since Mack Brown's firing was announced on Nov. 26.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday that Belichick met for "five hours" with UNC officials.

Belichick then discussed his potential goals for a college football program, while emphasizing that he had not yet accepted a job, in a Monday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.

Ollie Connolly of The Guardian reported on Tuesday that Belichick had informed UNC he wanted to see changes regarding salary and organizational structure before agreeing to the job.

Connolly had previously reported that Belichick's negotiations included "a guarantee that Stephen Belichick will be named the school's head coach in waiting." Stephen, who previously worked on the Patriots staff from 2012 to 2023, is currently serving as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.

Belichick has never before coached at the college level, and last coached at any level during his final campaign with the Patriots in 2023. He closed out his New England career having claimed eight Super Bowl victories, including two as defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and six as head coach of the Patriots.

Bill Belichick is holding a lot of the power in his talks with North Carolina about the program's vacant head coaching position.

Per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, there is currently no contract agreement between the two sides and talks are "very fluid" right now.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports added that Belichick and North Carolina representatives are still talking and hope from the school a decision will come soon, with the ball said to be in Belichick's court.

Per The Athletic's Ralph D. Russo, Brendan Marks and Dianna Russini, terms of a deal are still being negotiated and something could "come together quickly," but "nothing is imminent" as the two sides "remain apart on multiple key terms."

According to sources, Bill Belichick's move to UNC is not done.
There are still a few hurdles to overcome before this can be finalized.
Last night, UNC made a big push, but as of now nothing official. More below: https://t.co/38jROv1jFa

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) December 10, 2024

Jones reported on Sunday that Belichick had a second meeting with Tar Heels officials last week in New York City, and his interest in the job is due in part to not wanting to be shut out of the hiring cycle for a second straight year.

During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Belichick was unsurprisingly tight-lipped about the North Carolina job.

Thanks for laying out what it will look like IF North Carolina happens..

"We'll see" ~ Bill Belichick #PMSLive https://t.co/2o3AGrSxjV pic.twitter.com/Qr0b3ujw7O

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

The Tar Heels job came open on Nov. 26 when the school announced Mack Brown would not return in 2025. Brown finished this season 6-6 and went 44-31 in 75 games over the past six seasons.

It was Brown's second stint as North Carolina's head coach. He previously worked with the program for 10 seasons from 1988 to '97 before being hired by Texas.

Belichick has 48 years of coaching experience, but he has never worked at the college level. The 72-year-old parted ways with the New England Patriots after 24 seasons in January. He was a candidate to for the Atlanta Falcons job last offseason, having two interviews with the team, but they wound up hiring Raheem Morris.

There have been rumblings that the Jacksonville Jaguars could be a landing spot for Belichick in the NFL because they might be willing to give him full control over their football operations department.

Doug Pederson's job with the Jaguars has been a topic of discussion for weeks, but they have yet to make a move with the season still ongoing.

Whatever ends up happening with Belichick, it certainly seems like he will be coaching somewhere in 2025. It's just a question of if it will be at the college level or if he holds out for an NFL job.

Perhaps if Alabama had remained competitive against 6-6 Oklahoma instead of failing to score a single touchdown in a 24-3 blowout, it would be preparing for the College Football Playoff.

Instead, it is an SMU team that lost by just three points in each of its two defeats getting ready for a potential run at a championship.

To hear College Football Playoff chairman Warde Manuel tell it, the Mustangs keeping things close in their three-point losses to BYU and Clemson played a factor in their inclusion in the 12-team field over the Crimson Tide.

"With that resume, losing two games by a total of six points" stood out, Manuel said during a Monday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show (two-minute mark). "They played Clemson down to, literally, the last second."

For SMU's sake, it is a good thing it put together an impressive comeback during Saturday's ACC Championship Game.

The Tigers jumped out to a 31-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Mustangs came storming back to tie it in the final minute. However, Clemson kicker Nolan Hauser drilled a 56-yard field goal as time expired to clinch the conference title and a spot in the CFP for his team.

It also helped that BYU ended up going 10-2 as a quality loss, while the Crimson Tide lost to 6-6 Vanderbilt in addition to the ugly 24-3 loss to the Sooners.

While Alabama had wins over Georgia, South Carolina, Missouri and LSU to fall back on, its three losses—two of which came against opponents it should have handled with relative ease—were too much to overcome.

And now SMU will have a chance to prove itself in a CFP showdown against Penn State while the Crimson Tide prepare for the Reliaquest Bowl against Michigan.

Amid rumors that legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick is in the running for North Carolina's vacant head coaching position, another coach from the NFL ranks has reportedly entered the picture.

Per On3 Sports' Pete Nakos, former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks has interviewed with the Tar Heels. Wilks currently serves as a volunteer advisor for the Charlotte 49ers.

Wilks has worked in various roles for a number of NFL and collegiate programs. He was the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals for one season in 2018 and the Carolina Panthers' interim head coach in 2022 following Matt Rhule's firing.

He helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl a season ago but was fired after just one season in that role.

Should Wilks land the head coaching job at North Carolina, it would be just the second time he's been a head coach in the collegiate ranks and the first time since 1999 when he coached Savannah State for a season.

Wilks has some stiff competition for the position with one of the greatest coaches of all time also in consideration.

Grant Hughes of 247Sports reported last week that Belichick had interviewed with North Carolina and CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported later in the week that he had completed a second meeting.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Belichick confirmed that he had met with the Tar Heels and said he's had a "couple of good conversations" with the schools.

"It seems like College Football is more like pro football right now..

I grew up around College Football & I've had a chance this year to take a longer look at it..

I've had a couple good conversations with Chancellor Roberts & we'll see how it goes"

Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/DA40eXqL7i

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

While Belichick has never coached a college team, he noted the similarities between modern-day college football and the NFL and said his coaching style would prepare players for the professional ranks.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Low reported on Monday that Belichick and North Carolina are continuing conversations and a decision could come later this week.

Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion, doesn't have anything else to prove at this point, so potentially finding success at North Carolina would just add to what has already been a tremendous career.

On Monday, Bill Belichick confirmed during an appearance on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show that he has had a "couple of good conversations" with North Carolina chancellor Lee Roberts amid reports that he has interviewed for the school's head coaching vacancy.

But obstacles between the sides remain.

According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, "Sources believe some of the biggest hurdles facing a UNC-Belichick union are salary and NIL money commitments. Can Carolina make a respectable salary offer to the coach while also locking in the millions needed to compete at the requisite level?"

The former New England Patriots head coach did not comment specifically about any reports of interviewing with North Carolina, but he did offer a preview of how he would approach running a college team.

"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," he told McAfee. "It would be a professional program—training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL."

Bill Belichick emphasized "IF" he was coaching in a college program, it would be "a professional program." 👀 @PatMcAfeeShow

"The college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that have the ability to play in the NFL." pic.twitter.com/p2raPzm2DN

— ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2024

My take: Belichick laying out his vision for a UNC program serves to apply more pressure on the school to meet his requests and hire him. Hard to resist what he’s saying for a program that has long yearned to be elite

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) December 9, 2024

Bill Belichick closes @PatMcAfeeShow show interview by saying on UNC opening: "“We’ll see. We’ll see.”

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 9, 2024

Belichick, 72, most prominently spent 24 seasons as the head coach of the Patriots, leading the team to seven Super Bowl titles alongside quarterback Tom Brady. But his coaching career also included stops with the Cleveland Browns as the head coach between 1991-95 and stints with the New York Giants as an assistant and defensive coordinator (1979-90) and New York Jets as the defensive coordinator (1997-99), among other stops.

In total, he's gone 302-165 as an NFL head coach. His entire coaching career to this point, however, has come at the professional level. The college game would be a brand new beast for Belichick, and at a time when the transfer portal and NIL deals have changed the landscape of recruiting and program-building.

There's no doubt that Belichick would offer a level of name recognition and pedigree for North Carolina that would aid the recruiting process. He also would likely delegate much of the school's recruiting duties to his staff. But going from athletes at the top of their profession to younger, developing kids would undoubtedly be an adjustment for a coach like Belichick, who was famous for running a machine-like operation with the Patriots.

There is also the question of whether Belichick would prefer to wait out the NFL season and see what organizations end up with coaching vacancies. Last year, he only interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, but more interview opportunities should arise after the conclusion of the regular season. That, in turn, could leave the Tar Heels in a holding pattern in their own coaching search, though waiting out Belichick might be a gamble worth taking for a program with the resources to compete at the top level but a consistent failure to do so.

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick confirmed he has had a "couple of good conversations" with North Carolina about their coaching vacancy.

Belichick said Monday on The Pat McAfee Show he has done some due diligence to prepare for what would be his first college coaching job. He refrained from offering any specifics about a recent meeting with UNC chancellor Lee H. Roberts.

"It seems like College Football is more like pro football right now..

I grew up around College Football & I've had a chance this year to take a longer look at it..

I've had a couple good conversations with Chancellor Roberts & we'll see how it goes"

Bill Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/DA40eXqL7i

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

.@AdamSchefter told us you talked to Chancellor Roberts for five hours yesterday..

"I don't wanna give up too much information..

I've gotta get my press conference aura back" 😂

Bill Belichick #PMSLive https://t.co/bzEm3aSSDp pic.twitter.com/eeFGGBi1aH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

The six-time Super Bowl champion effectively offered a sales pitch centered around turning the Tar Heels into an NFL-centric program.

"They’d be ready for it. I have no doubt about that."

He added on the hypothetical: "It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready to get ready for (the NFL)."

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 9, 2024

Belichick closed by saying, "We'll see," in reference to the job.

ESPN's Pete Thamel and Chris Low reported Monday that the legendary head coach was maintaining a dialogue with North Carolina. He and the school could reach a final decision later this week.

Belichick's success in the NFL speaks for itself. He helped build a dynasty in New England and is the greatest coach of the modern era.

But working in the pros isn't correlative to coaching in college, even with college football's evolution toward a more pro model with increased player movement and new methods of athlete compensation.

In 2017, Arizona State announced a new "restructured ASU football model" with retired NFL coach Herm Edwards leading the team. The Sun Devils wanted to run things more like an NFL team in a bid to set themselves apart.

The experiment was a disaster. Edwards' 26-20 record over five seasons doesn't do justice to the terrible state in which he left the team.

Maybe ASU was simply ahead of its time and identified the wrong head coach, but Belichick's interview on Monday sounds an awful lot like the vision Edwards and then-athletic director Ray Anderson tried to lay out in Tempe, Arizona.

There's also the fact that other, much more successful schools can already make a compelling pitch to elite high school recruits and players in the transfer portal as a finishing ground for the pros.

Belichick's idea for North Carolina sounds great in theory, but how long would it take the Tar Heels to start winning recruiting battles against the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Oregon and Ohio State?

But who knows what will and won't work as we approach a totally new era for college football. Maybe North Carolina will discover a formula that puts the school ahead of the curve by leaning all the way into an NFL culture and organizational structure.