Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick was launched as the following head coach at North Carolina on Thursday, kicking off what guarantees to be one of many extra fascinating tenures within the historical past of the game. At 72-years-old, Belichick was questioned about his age and want to stay it out with this system if the NFL got here calling as soon as extra. He was clear in his reply.
“I did not come right here to go away,” Belichick mentioned.
The surreal nature of the second was captured a number of occasions. In lieu of the normal jersey, North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham handed Belichick one in all his signature hooded sweaters. He then walked to the facet of the stage and pulled out a blazer with the sleeves lower off.
Later, Belichick pulled out a a lot older sweatshirt, one worn by his father when he coached in Chapel Hill. Belichick’s father, Stephen, was an assistant at UNC from 1953-55 earlier than embarking on a prolonged profession at Navy. Bill by no means coached on the collegiate stage, beginning his profession as an workplace assistant within the NFL. Now, he believes his second has come full circle.
“I at all times needed to educate in faculty soccer nevertheless it by no means actually labored out,” Belichick mentioned. “I did some good years within the NFL, and that went okay, however that is actually type of a dream come true.”
Belichick ranks as maybe the highest coach in NFL historical past after profitable six Super Bowls throughout a legendary run with the New England Patriots. He is one in all three coaches in skilled soccer with greater than 300 wins, becoming a member of solely Don Shula and George Halas.
However, issues grew stale in New England after quarterback Tom Brady left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After his departure, the Patriots underneath Belichick went 29-38 in three seasons, headlined by falling to 4-13 in 2023. Belichick was fired in January 2024 and was finally handed over for any NFL jobs.
According to Belichick, his love of teaching soccer was the first driver behind taking up a brand new alternative at North Carolina.
“Beats working,” Belichick mentioned. “When you like what you do, it isn’t work. I like what I do. I like teaching. I like the interplay with the gamers, the constructing a staff, working, the assistants, sport planning, the video games itself.”
The Tar Heels current a novel problem for Belichick as he transitions into the collegiate sport. The program has not gained an ACC championship since 1980, although prior two coaches Mack Brown (2022) and Larry Fedora (2015) led this system to the ACC Championship Game.
North Carolina is coming off a 6-6 season, together with each a two-game and four-game dropping streak. Brown, the winningest coach in program historical past, was pushed out. Fourteen gamers have entered the switch portal, together with 14 different seniors on the depth chart.
“I wish to be versatile and make the most of the personnel that now we have,” Belichick mentioned. “I’ve at all times coached that manner. I do not wish to simply run one entrance, run 4 or 5 performs. I simply do not consider in that. I consider in attacking the protection and defending what the offense does effectively. We’ll have a system that may incorporate any good participant. I’ve by no means informed Michael, hey, that is a great participant, we won’t use them. Give us a great participant and we’ll attempt to discover a strategy to work that participant into the sport.”
Belichick confirmed that run sport coordinator and interim coach Freddie Kitchens would stay on the employees after two years with this system and a protracted historical past within the NFL, together with a 2019 stint as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Belichick has additionally been tied to a number of of his former assistants. Ole Miss analyst Joe Judge and Washington defensive coordinator Steve Belichick (his son), spent the 2024 season on the collegiate stage.
“I’ve had lots of people contact me,” Belichick mentioned. “I feel there will be a powerful presence of NFL individuals on the employees, I feel that is a certainty, not simply within the employees however within the coaching space.”
Belichick demurred when requested concerning the conversations he had with shut pal Nick Saban, who labored underneath Belichick on the Cleveland Browns employees within the Nineties — the primary crack of his trademark surliness throughout a press convention that started warmly.
A equally Belichickian response got here when Belichick was requested concerning the 400-word doc he had reportedly ready prematurely of taking the job.
“Don’t consider the whole lot you learn within the papers, all proper?” Belichick mentioned with a scoff. “I do not know the place that got here from. I haven’t got a 400-page doc. And to assume I’d simply exit and hand it [off], I imply, come on.”
Later on, Belichick supplied a prolonged reply for a way he started warming to the concept of teaching faculty soccer throughout his yr away from the NFL and dealing within the media.
“College type of got here to me this yr. I did not essentially go and search it out. I had many coaches — most likely a pair dozen coaches — speak to me and say, ‘Hey, can we sit down and speak to you about these items?’ Let’s name it the wage cap of professional soccer relative to school soccer, the headsets, the inexperienced dot, the 2-minute warning, the tablets on the sideline. Those have been all guidelines adjustments this yr in faculty soccer that have been both the identical or just like what we had within the NFL. …
“As these conversations began — after which the personnel conversations began relative to wage cap and the way you spend regardless of the allotment of cash you’ve … I had a number of conversations with a number of coaches. … Sometimes, there have been coaches who have been on the employees that have been accountable for situational soccer — or in some instances an individual within the group that was perhaps in soccer however was moved to a semi-general supervisor kind position that wasn’t accustomed to that facet of what was now invading faculty soccer with the income sharing and the NIL.
“That began to make me much more conscious of it as a result of the very first thing I needed to do was find out about it. … As you study various things about completely different applications, you begin to put all of it collectively. There are some widespread threads, and there are some variables.”
Belichick ended his press convention by noting “there’s a lot alternative,” at North Carolina. North Carolina signed Belichick to a five-year, $50 million contract, which pays him an annual common wage close to the highest of the FBS ranks.
