How Bill Belichick plans to run his program in North Carolina

Bill Belichick’s UNC football program may look a lot like the “Patriot Way.”

Before agreeing to become the Tar Heels’ next head coach, Belichick revealed how he led a college football team during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday.

“If I were to go to a college program, the college program would be a connection to the NFL for the players that would have the opportunity to play in the NFL,” Belichick said during the interview. “It would be a professional program: training, nutrition, programming, coaching and techniques that would translate to the NFL…It would be an NFL program, but not at the NFL level.”

The 72-year-old NFL coaching legend is moving to the college ranks after spending this season in various media roles.

Belichick parted ways with the Patriots after the 2023 NFL season after 24 years and six Super Bowl victories.

He has worked in the NFL in one capacity or another since 1975, when he became a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts.

According to The Athletic, his contract with UNC is for three years and $30 million.

According to ESPN, Belichick is looking to expand his staff and potentially make acquisitions in the transfer portal, although his former New England assistant Michael Lombardi – most recently an analyst and podcaster for VSiN – will join him as the football team’s GM.

He takes over a program that just fired Mack Brown after going 6-6 this season and 44-31 in 75 games over six seasons.

The Tar Heels football program has recorded just one double-digit win season in the last 27 years and has not won the ACC title since 1980.

Although he has no personal ties to the school, Belichick’s father, Steve, was an assistant coach at UNC in the 1950s.

“I am excited about the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Belichick said in a statement Wednesday. “I grew up around college football with my dad and treasured that time. I have always wanted to coach in college and look forward to building the football program at Chapel Hill.”