Throughout the history of professional football, many great coaches have ruled on the gridiron. Names like Tom Landry and Paul Brown have etched their names into the record books, but no coach has put up a career comparable to long-time Patriots coach, Bill Belichick. With his eight Super Bowl victories and .647 win percentage over his coaching career (Pro Football Reference), the records Belichick has achieved are second to none. After this success, the years caught up to him at the Patriots, and they and Belichick parted ways in 2024, creating the question of where Belichick would finally end up. After a year’s hiatus, he dropped a bomb on the college football landscape as he announced his new coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina. This unorthodox decision led to many people asking if Bill was going to be a boom or a bust for the Tar Heels.
This announcement came with some baggage, however, as Belichick’s head coaching position came with the guaranteed hiring of both of his sons to the coaching staff. One of these hires led to heated controversy in Chapel Hill as Steve Belichick’s hiring raised concerns of nepotism with his high power and salary, even with his lack of experience. After many reviews and trips to the courthouse, the situation was brushed under the university blue rug, and all the attention shifted to Belichick’s girlfriend, Jordan Hudson. Articles arose and headlines flew about Hudson’s role within the UNC program, as rumors stated she had a clause in the contract, making her the university’s cheer coach. Whether or not that story was true, Hudson would go on to take a step back and support her boyfriend within his new coaching role.
With all of the offseason chatter, the Tar Heels started to shape their program into the Bill Belichick mold, as they picked up forty-one new players within the transfer portal. With these additions, he brought his pro experience to the program, as he vetted every incoming transfer before officially offering them the spot. Along with the vetting process, he scaled his practice schedules from New England to North Carolina to provide an edge against their collegiate competitors. These, combined with improved nutrition and weight room training, along with his playstyle schemes, made UNC not only a well-versed collegiate team but a program that could hold up to NFL standards, per ESPN. Usually, this off-field prep work going into a football season would lead to on-field success, but the Tar Heels’ slow start is proving otherwise.
The offseason hype was brewing for the Tar Heels, as they would face off in their house against Texas Christian University on Monday night. With hours of promotional videos and interviews, UNC came firing out of the gate with a quick score off of their opening drive. This push was looking to be the norm for North Carolina, but TCU had other plans. The Horned Frogs would go on to stomp on the Heels 48-14, and cut the power to all of the excitement that was brewing. With this embarrassment in week one, Belichick had two weeks of “cupcake” games versus lower-skill teams ( Charlotte & Richmond Universities) to reinstall their scheme and bring the team together for success. This did not happen, however, as UNC travelled to the University of Central Florida and was smacked by the Golden Knights 9-34.
This slow start for North Carolina might be disappointing for their fanbase, but the hope for a Bill Belichick dynasty is not completely out the window. In the NFL, rebuilds take several years to erect, and their pro-masking scheme could follow this same trend. As long as Belichick can continue to travel the stretch of the field, his influence will continue to enrich North Carolina. The only question left is how long will the fans hold on, or have they Beli-checked out?
