I was convinced it was a fake post at first.
Bill Belichick? Coaching the University of North Carolina? That feels like something that would get passed around by people who paid for checkmarks so they could shitpost and spread false information.
Yet, it’s real, and it might actually happen. After a report by Inside Carolina broke last week about the legendary NFL coach wanting to get back into the game at the college level, many around the NFL world have wondered if this was legit. Could the greatest NFL coach ever take his talents to Chapel Hill? For the most part, talks are still ongoing, and Belichick himself said he’s spoken to North Carolina athletic director Lee Roberts about the job multiple times, including an alleged five-hour conversation.
Bill Belichick to @PatMcAfeeShow on UNC opening. He said he’s had a “couple of good conversations” with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts. He adds: “We’ll see how that goes.”
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 9, 2024
On top of that, the leading candidate for the job, Tulane HC Jon Sumrall, took his name out of the running on Sunday. Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has also declined the job, leaving Belichick and Army head coach Jeff Monken seemingly as the final candidates.
So, quite honestly I’ve gone back and forth on whether this is a good idea for the Tar Heels, and I’ve come to a conclusion: North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick would be the best, worst idea of all time. Everything in my head is saying this is a bad idea, yet I think it could work out for the Tar Heels. Allow me to explain:
This hiring could backfire in so many ways, even without examining the process UNC took to get here. The Tar Heels just fired 73-year-old Mack Brown, who looked like he was there way past his time. To turn around and hire 72-year-old Belichick would just be an incredibly funny process hire, to get rid of an old guy and bring in a guy who is eight months younger than the guy you fired.
A couple of my biggest questions about the hire would be pretty simple, actually. The first one is how long Belichick plans on coaching at the college level. As we stated, he’s 72 years old, and college coaching takes a lot out of you. If he plans on being the head coach for three, maybe four years I can totally understand that, but anything shorter and you just wonder what the reason was for hiring him. College coaching and recruiting hours are much different than the NFL, even with NIL and managing what is basically a salary for college kids, and even though Belichick was the GM for the Pats, it would be a much different game.
In addition, the Belichick hire could backfire without the proper staff around him, especially offensively. I wouldn’t be worried about the defense, if there’s anything that Belichick can coach at any level, it’s a defense. But offensively he hasn’t really surrounded himself with the freshest minds. It would give me pause, but his staff reportedly would be pretty good!
Any potential staff would include Matt Patricia, Ben McDaniels (Texans passing game coordinator and brother of Josh McDaniels) as well as a sitting college GM who would handle general operations — NIL, recruiting, etc.
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieConnolly) December 6, 2024
This is why I think Belichick would be a great idea, IF he can get that staff.
Naturally, he would probably bring his son and Washington DC Steve Belichick to be his DC/head coach in waiting, which quite frankly works. Belichick has guided the Husky defense to a top 30 finish in defensive SP+ this season, a drastic jump from their spot at 50 on the same list last year. Having Steve Belichick be the HC in waiting would be the perfect mixture of getting the present bump from Bill while not sacrificing the future, something I know Tar Heel fans will definitely want.
In addition, I think Belichick would be a great recruiter. Having the ability to go into any recruit’s home and show them all eight Super Bowl rings and great players he coached seems like a bonus to me. Belichick’s success in the NFL has come recently enough that recruits will still know him as the mastermind behind the Patriots’ dynasty, and should want to play for him.
Look, in coaching we don’t really get any sure things. Coaching hires that look great on the surface don’t work out, and ones we think are terrible end up blossoming. The Belichick-UNC stuff is weird, but…I at least get the idea.
It could backfire horrendously, or it could be amazing. That’s why we love college football.
