Tag: Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick says he is ‘copying’ things Nick Saban did at Alabama

Bill Belichick wants to copy some things that Nick Saban did while at Alabama.

North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick said Friday that he was attempting to copy some things his friend and former assistant coach Nick Saban had done while at Alabama.

Appearing on Friday’s edition of ESPN’s “College GameDay” ahead of the College Football Playoff matchup between No. 10 seed Indiana and No. 7 Notre Dame in South Bend, Belichick joined Saban, Rece Davis, Pat McAfee and others via video call.

The conversation included some mutually flattering words between Saban and Belichick. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the career paths of both men. Saban was Belichick’s defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns from 1991-94.

“I learned more from you about evaluating players than anybody in my career because you had a great way of defining the criteria for what you were looking for,” Saban told Belichick. “You went out and did it. You’ve always identified it, and I think that’s been a key to your success. I know you’ll do that — even though you’ve got to recruit them, you can’t draft them — in college as well.”

As for how Belichick is trying to copy what Saban did at Alabama, Belichick explained it to McAfee this way:

“I appreciate Coach Saban’s comments about the evaluations that we did in Cleveland. I think I learned a lot more from him than he did from me. He’s a great evaluator. And then I watched him at Alabama put together essentially his scouting and evaluation staff. So now I’m copying a lot of things that I watched him do there and learned from the system he installed there.”

Belichick added:

“We’ll get players ready for the NFL, no matter what position they play. We’ll get them ready for their lives and their careers just by the accountability that comes with the program very much like Nick did at Alabama. We’ll see what kind of success that is, but very much like that model.”

Saban joked that that it had been easy for Belichick to copy his model at Alabama since it was Belichick’s model in the NFL.

Belichick told Saban:

“I remember when you went back to Michigan State and then to Alabama, you and I had conversations about how much you enjoyed developing the young players and having more of an impact on them. Even though I haven’t done it and just saw it when I was at Navy, I can really see where you’re coming from on that. It’s been very exciting, even in the short time that I’ve been here.”

Belichick was introduced as North Carolina’s new coach on Dec. 12. His first game will be against TCU on Aug. 30 next year in Chapel Hill.

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UNC football general manager speaks on program’s new goals under Bill Belichick

If you want to be fired up about football season, hear what UNC football general manager Michael Lombardi had to say.

You never know what you’ll get watching North Carolina Tar Heels football, particularly with the 2024 regular season, in which North Carolina slumped to a 6-6 finish.

UNC continues to make bowl games – it’s playing UConn in the 2024 Fenway Bowl – but not championships. Despite making the 2015 and 2022 ACC Championships, North Carolina’s last conference title came in 1980.

With Bill Belichick now leading the Tar Heels, football in Chapel Hill is about to get a complete makeover.

UNC’s new general manager, Michael Lombardi, recently spoke about what he expects to see change on the football field.

“We’re not here to finish fourth in the ACC – we’re here to complete for championships,” Lombardi said.

North Carolina is Lombardi’s second stop as a general manager (Cleveland Browns in 2013), but he’s no stranger to Belichick. Lombardi was a New England Patriots “Assistant to the Coaching Staff” from 2014-2016, a stretch in which New England won two Super Bowls

If you don’t know it already, Belichick is the greatest football coach of all time. Belichick led the Patriots to six Super Bowls in 24 seasons (2000-2023), won AP NFL Coach of the Year Honors three times, plus he turned Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski into future Hall of Famers.

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Lombardi’s executive career spans long before his time up east, as he started with UNLV as a recruiting coordinator from 1981-1984.

Lombardi’s NFL journey began in 1984, when he worked as the San Francisco 49ers‘ scout, then he held that same role with the Cleveland Browns from 1987-1989.  Lombardi worked in Cleveland until 1995, split time with the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and Denver Broncos, before coming back to Cleveland.

Can the Lombardi-Belichick duo, which previously won two Super Bowls in New England, lead the Tar Heels to the National Championship?

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Alabama transfer commits to Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels

Bill Belichick and UNC land commitment from former Alabama OL Miles McVay.

It’s still hard to believe it happened, but the greatest coach in NFL history, Bill Belichick, is now the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. As if imagining Belichick outside of the pros wasn’t weird enough, the college game has never been in a more bizarre spot between NIL and the transfer portal.

The Tar Heel program will be a bit of a rebuild as they finished 6-6 in 2024, but it sounds like they have solid NIL plans in place to assist the Patriots legend.

So far, Belichick doesn’t appear to be having any issues adapting to the changes as he’s already finding great success in the transfer portal. On Thursday, the Tar Heels landed a commitment from former four star recruit and Alabama Crimson Tide OL Miles McVay. Coming out of East St. Louis, McVay was the rated No. 138 player on the ESPN300 and the 16th-rated offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting cycle.

With three years of eligibility remaining, McVay’s decision to enter the portal isn’t shocking after limited playing time, a redshirt and being stuck behind Kadyn Proctor on the depth chart. McVay will also become the first player to play for both Nick Saban and Belichick at the college level.

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Two of Bill Belichick’s former players say he’ll thrive as UNC’s football coach

Tom Brady isn’t the only former New England Patriots star excited for Bill Belichick’s UNC football coaching gig.

In 24 seasons as head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick ran the NFL and became the envy of many in the football world.

Belichick won six Super Bowl Titles in New England, several more AFC East Championships and coached Tom Brady, the greatest football player of all time.

Now, in December 2024, Belichick is trying to build the UNC football program into a dynasty.

Brady previously gave Belichick a vote of confidence as the Tar Heels’ new head coach. Two more of Belichick’s former Patriots – star tight end Rob Gronkowski and wide receiver Julian Edelman – joined Brady in saying Belichick will thrive at North Carolina.

Gronkowski, more widely-known as Gronk, is a 5-time Pro Bowler who won four Super Bowls with Belichick. Gronk also led the NFL in touchdown receptions during the 2011 season.

“Coach Belichick, he’s going to do an awesome job coaching those young bucks at UNC,” Gronk said during Wednesday’s Art of Sport LA Bowl. “I love the guy, I’m wishing him nothing but the best. He’s going to make college football that much more suspenseful, that much more fun and that much more interesting. And I can’t wait. The guy’s a winner. He’s going to eventually be winning games at the University of North Carolina. I’ll be tuning in, just like everybody else. Coach Belichick, hey all you players go out there. Coach, you can sign me a little dough as well then. Let’s go, I’m working for you right now. I’m a recruiter.”

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Edelman, a 3-time Super Bowl Champion (and Super Bowl LII MVP) known as one of the postseason’s most clutch performers, spoke highly of Belichick during NFL on Fox.

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“The more I think about it, the more it makes sense,” Edelman said of UNC hiring Belichick.”He knows how to project players. Bill’s dad coached at North Carolina. He loves anything his dad was a part of. The hoodie in a Jordan Tar Heel Powder Blue? When the capsule comes out, when the Air Belichicks come out, when you get the sneaker and you get the cutoff hoodie, I’ll be the first in line. Let’s go!”

It’s safe to say Belichick’s former players are excited about his new opportunity. UNC players are share that same sentiment – and transfers are committing because of the Belichick Effect.

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Lawrence Taylor expects big things from Bill Belichick at UNC

Retired New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor is excited to have Bill Belichick coaching at his alma mater, North Carolina.

New York Giants Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor is feeling good about his alma mater, the University of North Carolina, after they announced recently that Bill Belichick would be taking over as the head coach.

Taylor played at UNC from 1977 through 1980 earning All-American honors and was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1980. He was selected second overall by the Giants in the 1981 NFL draft and went on to have one of the most storied careers in NFL history.

Belichick was a defensive assistant and special teams coach under head coach Ray Perkins and defensive coordinator Bill Parcells in 1981. He was in charge of a linebacker unit that included Taylor, fellow Hall of Famer Harry Carson, Brad Van Pelt, and Brian Kelley. Carl Banks and Gary Reasons would later replace Van Pelt and Kelley.

Taylor was not initially a fan of Belichick’s in the beginning. When Bill Parcells replaced Perkins as the head coach in 1983, Belichick became a key strategist and was elected to defensive coordinator in 1985, much to the objection of Taylor.

“I cursed Parcells out when he hired Belichick as the defensive coordinator,” Taylor said in a 2021 interview. “I come into the league, and I meet Bill Belichick. He’s an assistant special teams coach… now what the hell, that’s like a towel boy. What the hell is that? Assistant special teams coach.”

Parcells then set Taylor straight that it was Belichick who had been drawing up the defensive schemes and calls that had led to the team’s success.

“I said, ‘what?!’ I mean, even Cover 2 … all those belong to him?” Taylor said. “And he got a little respect from me that day, and I tell you what, he has turned out to be one of the best coaches in history.”

The mutual respect doesn’t end there. Belichick, who has eight Super Bowl rings — six as a head coach of the New England Patriots and two with the Giants as an assistant — believes Taylor to be the best to have ever done it.

“Well, I think I had the honor of coaching the greatest defensive football player in the history of the game, and he helped make me a great coach, I’ll tell you,” Belichick said.

It remains to be seen if Taylor will make any appearances down in Chapel Hill now that Belichick is there. Perhaps they can combine for more magic in the future.

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Oklahoma Sooners fend off coaching legend to land transfer QB John Mateer

Oklahoma Sooners hold off late recruiting push from Bill Belichick for the nation’s top transfer portal quarterback John Mateer.

The Oklahoma Sooners waded deep into the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] to earn a commitment from the top quarterback in the class, John Mateer. Mateer led the nation in total touchdowns with 44 and accounted for nearly 4,000 yards of offense.

The Sooners added a dynamic weapon to help lead their offense under new offensive coordinator [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag]. Though the connection to his former offensive coordinator proved significant, the Sooners faced challengers on the recruiting trail.

The Miami Hurricanes, who’d found great success with another former Washington State and Ben Arbuckle product, Heisman finalist Cam Ward, attempted to lure Mateer to South Beach. But they weren’t the only ones making a play for the dynamic dual-threat quarterback.

According to Georgia Stoia of SoonerScoop and On3 and radio play-by-play voice for the Oklahoma Sooners, Toby Rowland, the Sooners had to withstand a late push from legendary head coach Bill Belichick.

The former New England Patriots six-time Super Bowl champion, now with the North Carolina Tar Heels, reportedly appealed for Mateer to come to UNC. However, a pitch from former Sooners Heisman winner Baker Mayfield sealed the deal for Mateer to commit to Oklahoma.

Mateer signed a name, image, and likeness deal with the 1Oklahoma collective, who released this Christmas-inspired video announcing the agreement.

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Oklahoma had a lot in its favor in this recruiting battle, but they still had to fend off pushes from Miami, who’s been very effective in the transfer portal market and a legend of the game in Bill Belichick. It was a team approach from the coaching staff and players to a Sooner legend, and the 1Oklahoma collective to push this recruitment over the finish line.

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UNC football’s top Class of 2025 recruit signs Letter of Intent on Wednesday

UNC officially landed its quarterback of the future on Wednesday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to win on the football recruiting trail, particularly given their recent hire of Bill Belichick as head football coach.

UNC’s greatest victory, so far, was getting 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker to re-assure his commitment on Saturday.

Baker, North Carolina’s top recruit in the 2025 class, further solidified his commitment when he joined Belichick at halftime of the UNC-La Salle basketball game.

On Wednesday, December 18, Baker officially locked himself into Chapel Hill.

In a small ceremony at East Forsyth (NC) High School, where Baker starred as the Eagles’ starting quarterback over the past two seasons, Baker signed his Letter of Intent in front of coaches, teammates and family.

Baker threw for 6.605 yards, 79 touchdowns and just eight interceptions at East Forsyth, leading his team to four state playoff victories. Baker also showcased his abilities as a dual-threat QB, running for 536 yards and nine more scores on the ground.

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With the Tar Heels uncertain about their 2025 starting quarterback, Baker has a golden shot to start from Day One. He’ll be competing with at least Max Johnson, the former Texas A&M and LSU transfer, who broke his leg in North Carolina’s 2023 opener at Minnesota.

Baker has a lot to be excited about as UNC’s likely quarterback of the future. His offensive line already has two key pieces, with 2024 starters Aidan Banfield and Austin Blaske recently withdrawing from the transfer portal, plus he now has a former SEC tight end in Connor Cox to catch passes.

Don’t be surprised to see others follow in Baker’s footsteps, whether withdrawing from the transfer portal or flipping their commitments to the Tar Heels.

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ESPN radio host compares Bill Belichick at UNC to Deion Sanders at Colorado

How does Bill Belichick’s path to the UNC head coaching job compare him to Colorado’s Deion Sanders?

Despite the fact we’re in the middle of college basketball season, all the excitement surrounding the North Carolina Tar Heels is within their football program.

On Wednesday, December 11, UNC hired NFL legend Bill Belichick as its next head football coach. Belichick won six Super Bowl as the New England Patriots‘ head coach, plus several more AFC East titles, so the hope is he can turn North Carolina into that same powerhouse.

We’re already starting to see several high-profile players commit to the Tar Heels, plus several more withdraw their names from the transfer portal.

With the Bill Belichick effect in full swing – and if Belichick can turn UNC’s offseason momentum into victories – ESPN radio host Paul Hembekides says North Carolina will soon contend for a National Championship.

“Hembo,” as the radio host is more commonly known, compares Belichick’s potential at UNC to what Deion Sanders did with Colorado.

The Tar Heels haven’t come remotely close to the CFP Title game, but they did appear in the 2015 and 2022 ACC Championships. UNC has three ranked finishes since 1997, with its highest being sixth in the 1997 AP Poll.

“If Bill Belichick can improve Carolina to the same extent to which Deion Sanders improved Colorado, we’re talking about a legitimate National Title contender,” Hembo said on the air Wednesday. “We’re talking, at minimum, about a College Football Playoff team and a team at the very top of the ACC. To me, that is attainable. It is achievable because I think Bill Belichick is smart enough – and is going to outsmart and out-coach – 90 percent of those guys in his sleep. It’s going to come down to the finer points, the details about running a college program. But you just can’t really know until you’re in it – and that, of course, is going to be the thing that Bill Belichick and his staff have to do a lot of catching up on.”

Sanders, an 8-time Pro Bowler and 1994 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, never coached in college before taking the Jackson State in 2020.

Belichick, who hasn’t coached in college before, is in good company. I’m confident Belichick’s NFL success will translate to UNC, as college football becomes increasingly professional in the NIL world.

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UNC football’s top 2025 recruit speaks on Bill Belichick’s vision in Chapel Hill

Does UNC’s top 2025 football recruit like Bill Belichick’s vision for the program?

Though the North Carolina Tar Heels are busy preparing to play in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, December 28, they can breath a huge sigh of relief about their 2025 football roster.

Bryce Baker, UNC’s top-ranked Class of 2025 recruit and a prime candidate for starting quarterback next season, re-assured his commitment to North Carolina on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Baker walked onto the Dean Dome court with the Tar Heels’ new head football coach, Bill Belichick.

Playing for Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the New England Patriots‘ head coach, should be a player’s dream. Belichick is known for getting the best out of his players – and he now takes over a North Carolina program looking for consistency.

On Tuesday, December 17, Baker spoke highly of Belichick and his vision at UNC.

“He just explained how he was going to run it like an NFL place,” Baker said. “He knows there’s differences in college and the NFL, but he will have that next-level accountability he’s going to hold the team to.”

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Baker, who threw for a whopping 6,605 yards and 79 touchdowns at East Forsyth High School between 2023 and 2024 seasons, will compete with Max Johnson for the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback job in 2025.

Jacolby Criswell is out of eligibility and Conner Harrell is in the transfer portal, so Baker’s path to a starting job is that much clearer.

As legendary a coach Belichick is, the one knock against him is no college coaching experience. College football is becoming increasingly professional by the day, highlighted by how NIL money is tossed around, so I have full confidence in Belichick’s ability to lead North Carolina.

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