Bill Belichick, the former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion, confirmed on Monday that he engaged in “a couple of good conversations” with North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts regarding the head-coaching position for the Tar Heels.
During his appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick shared that since leaving the Patriots, he has taken a more in-depth view of college football over the past 11 months, focusing on the season rather than just the spring draft preparations typical for professional coaches.
Belichick expressed, “It’s been a good year for me. I’ve learned a lot,” adding that his discussions with Chancellor Roberts have been fruitful. “So we’ll see how it goes,” he remarked, hinting at the potential for future collaboration.
With a playful grin, he told McAfee, “Yeah, let’s just leave it at that. I mean, I don’t want to give out too much information. I want to get my press conference aura back.”
The coaching landscape at UNC has shifted since Mack Brown’s last game on November 30, where the team faced a loss against rival N.C. State. The potential hiring of Belichick, who is 72 years old and has never coached at the college level, would mark a significant shift for the program.
Despite his lack of college coaching experience, Belichick boasts a remarkable NFL legacy, particularly during his time with quarterback Tom Brady, which spanned most of his 24 years with the Patriots until last season.
Since leaving the NFL, Belichick has been speculated to be a candidate for various coaching roles, including a link to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year.
While he refrained from discussing specifics about his talks with UNC, he did draw parallels between managing an NFL team and a college program, especially in light of new opportunities for players to earn from endorsements and the upcoming revenue-sharing changes.
“If I were in a college program, it would serve as a pipeline to the NFL for players capable of making that jump,” Belichick stated. “It would be a professional program: focusing on training, nutrition, schemes, coaching, and techniques that would be relevant to the NFL.”
He emphasized, “It would be an NFL program at a college level.”
Interestingly, Belichick has a familial connection to the UNC football program; his late father, Steve, served as an assistant coach for the Tar Heels from 1953 to 1955.
