In a move that surprised absolutely nobody around the Washington community, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz reported that Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is expected to follow his father, Bill Belichick, to North Carolina and take the same position.
While neither university has confirmed the news, the move is presumed to be finalized on January 1 after the Huskies play in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, since the younger Belichick’s contract buyout drops from $1.2 million to 0 when the calendar rolls over.
I think we’ll deal with whatever coaching change or changes might occur at the end of the year after the bowl game,” Fisch said on Tuesday. “If we have to make a decision prior to the bowl game, we certainly can. I know this, I know Steve is really focused on beating Louisville. I’m really focused on keeping our team where I want our team mentally.”
When whispers of his father taking the job on Chapel Hill first surfaced, rumors were that one of the stipulations of the future Hall of Famer’s deal was that his son would be named the Tar Heels’ “head coach in waiting.”
In his first season at the college level, Belichick led the Huskies to a vast improvement on the defensive side, as his group finished No. 27 in the nation with 327.4 yards per game allowed. The defense was highlighted by the country’s No. 5 secondary, which gave up an average of 166.8 yards per contest.
He’ll also be taking one of the assumed building blocks of Washington’s defense with him after freshman linebacker Khmori House committed to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal on Saturday.
However, as Jedd Fisch searches for a new defensive coordinator, he won’t have to make any other hires.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Huskies aren’t expecting any other changes to the coaching staff, meaning safeties coach Vinnie Sunseri, who came with Belichick from the New England Patriots, and linebackers coach Robert Bala, who came recommended to Fisch by Bill Belichick through Nick Saban, will both be staying on Montlake.