Bill Belichick officially named the next head coach at UNC

Bill Belichick is heading back to school.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is officially North Carolina's next head coach. ESPN first reported the news, which was later confirmed by FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz on Wednesday. The school then announced the hire.

"This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University," UNC Chancellor Lee H. Roberts said in a statement. "Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition. I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football." 

UNC said Belichick's deal is tentatively for five years, if it's approved by the University's Board of Trustees and Board of Governors.

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

Belichick became a surprise candidate to replace Mack Brown shortly after UNC's regular season ended. He reportedly met with the school multiple times in the first week of December, later confirming that he had spoken with Roberts.

While Belichick is one of the most decorated coaches in NFL history, his decision to move to the college level is a bit of a shock. He's never held an official college coaching position. He's also entering the college ranks at a time when many coaches his age (72) have left the sport over concerns with name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal, such as his friend Nick Saban. 

Belichick told ESPN he's been taking a "longer look" at potentially coaching college football over the last year, however.

"It's been a good year for me. I've learned a lot," Belichick said. "So I've had the opportunity to talk to Chancellor Roberts, and we've had a couple of good conversations. So we'll see how it goes."

It had been reported on numerous occasions that Belichick would want to return to coaching in the NFL after the New England Patriots parted ways with him in January. One of his presumed motivating factors was the opportunity to break Don Shula's wins record in the NFL. He currently trails the Hall of Fame coach by 14 wins. 

Belichick had also interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their head coach vacancy last offseason, but lost the job to Raheem Morris. 

Now, Belichick will make his college coaching debut with a school he has some familiarity with. His father, Steve, was UNC's running backs coach for a few seasons in the 1950s. Belichick also has a current tie to the college game as one of his sons, Stephen, is the defensive coordinator for Washington. 

Belichick will try to bring a taste of the NFL to college football.

"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," Belichick told ESPN on Monday. "It would be a professional program: training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL.

"It would be an NFL program at a college level."

If Belichick is able to replicate the success he had with the Patriots, the risk of replacing the 73-year-old Brown with Belichick — who turns 73 in April — would be worth the reward. In addition to holding the most Super Bowl wins ever for a head coach, Belichick also led the Patriots to nine Super Bowl appearances, 17 AFC East titles and 30 playoff wins over his 24 seasons as head coach. 

Belichick's last few seasons in New England failed to match the heights of the dynasty years, though. The Patriots went 8-9 in 2022 before a 4-13 season in 2023, his final year with the team.

After failing to land a coaching job last offseason, Belichick joined the media ranks for the 2024 season. He currently has several media gigs, which include working as a panelist for "Inside the NFL."

North Carolina fired Brown after a 6-6 season in his second stint as the program's head coach. The Tar Heels will next face the UConn Huskies in the Fenway Bowl in Boston, near Belichick's old stomping grounds with the Patriots. 

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