Tag: North Carolina

Former top Patriots defensive coach joining Bill Belichick at UNC

The Belichick reunion at UNC is official

Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick is set to join his father, North Carolina Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick, in Chapel Hill. The move was confirmed on Sunday by Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports and 247 Sports.

The younger Belichick will join North Carolina’s staff after Washington’s bowl game against Louisville on Christmas Eve.

It will be a father-son reunion for the Belichicks. Steve worked on his father’s staff in New England, serving as a defensive assistant from 2012-2015. He then served as the safeties coach from 2016-2018 and moved over to defensive backs in 2019.

He officially joined the Washington staff earlier in the year after the Patriots parted ways with Bill Belichick. At Washington, he served under head coach Jedd Fisch, who is also a former member of the Patriots’ staff.

Even when the Patriots struggled, they still had one of the NFL’s top defensive units under the Belichicks. We’ll see if the father-son duo can work that same magic at the collegiate level.

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Former Michigan State wide receiver taking visit to North Carolina

A former MSU wide receiver will meet with Bill Belichick and North Carolina

Bill Belichick lit the college football world on fire last week when he was formally announced as the next head coach at North Carolina after a Hall of Fame caliber NFL coaching career. Belicheck and his staff will be looking to revitalize the program quickly through the portal, and they will reportedly be meeting with former Michigan State football receiver Aziah Johnson on Tuesday.

Johnson was one of the more surprising names to see enter the portal for the Spartans after a nice season. To date, it has been reported that Johnson has at least visited with Kansas, Kansas State, and now the Tar Heels.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

Bill Belichick answers the one question everyone is thinking in six words

Bill Belichick answered the one question everyone is thinking

Now that Bill Belichick has agreed to be the new head coach at the University of North Carolina, there has been one question everyone is wondering: how long will it last?

Belichick reportedly signed a five-year, $50 million deal to take over the vacant job left in the wake of Mack Brown being fired. Some have wondered if the legendary coach is using the opportunity as a stepping ladder back to the NFL, where he is only 15 wins away from surpassing Don Shula’s wins record.

When asked about the fear of him potentially leaving, Belichick quelled all of those concerns with a six-word response.

“I didn’t come here to leave,” Belichick said at an introductory press conference on Thursday.

That sounds like Belichick is in it for the long haul. He’s going to roll up his sleeves and work hard in an attempt to take the 6-6 Tar Heels to a perennial contender.

Multiple former players and coaches, including legendary college coach Nick Saban, have voiced their opinions that Belichick will find success in his latest venture.

The football world won’t have to wait too much longer to find out.

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What it took for North Carolina to land Bill Belichick

What will UNC be paying Bill Belichick?

Bill Belichick is the man in Chapel Hill … for football. He met everyone, including the media on Thursday.

Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic with some great hustle to find the contract and the deets of what Belichick and UNC agreed upon to make him the Tar Heels coach.

Three years are in stone. The other two aren’t.

How Bill Belichick leaving NFL for UNC impacts Saints’ 2025 coach search

Longtime Patriots head coach Bill Belichick moves on from the NFL to become the head coach at North Carolina. How does it impact the Saints?

The NFL landscape has changed many different times over the years, but Bill Belichick was a staple of that landscape, coaching in the league from 1975 with the Baltimore Colts to leaving as head coach of the New England Patriots in 2023. Now, he is pursuing a new career in college football, as he will be moving on to become the head coach at North Carolina.

This is a completely different position from where he was in the NFL, as college has become a completely new landscape under the new regulations, NIL additions, and transfer portal capabilities in recent years, which makes this signing an intriguing one.

The New Orleans Saints are one of the teams who will be looking for a new head coach at the end of the season, and despite Darren Rizzi having a 3-1 start so far, who knows what the front office will do come off-season time? Bill Belichick was likely not one of those candidates, however, as Seth Wickersham of ESPN listed several teams that may have been potential options before:

“Belichick insisted to the Falcons and made clear to other teams with openings last year that he wasn’t seeking the total control of football operations he enjoyed for most of his head coaching career, both in Cleveland and in New England. He was willing to work with existing staff, whether it was Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot or Commanders general manager Adam Peters or Jerry Jones or Howie Roseman, if the Cowboys or Eagles, respectively, had decided to change coaches.”

Instead, one more experienced head coaching candidates comes off the board, which leaves the NFL with less options, and therefore the Saints with fewer targets as teams will begin their yearly scramble to hire the best ones as soon as possible.

We will find out who the Saints end up with eventually, whether than be Rizzi, a different internal candidate, or an external candidate, but whoever they choose, it will not be Bill Belichick.

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Bill Belichick issues statement after agreeing to be UNC head coach

Bill Belichick issues a statement after accepting UNC head coaching job

Bill Belichick issued a statement on Wednesday after agreeing to a head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

Inside Carolina broke the news that the two sides were finalizing a deal. According to The Athletic, it’s a five-year, $50 million deal for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.

“I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Belichick said in a statement, via Inside Carolina. “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.”

Steve Belichick, Bill’s father, served as the backfield coach at North Carolina from 1953-1955. So coaching at the university that his father used to coach at is a full-circle moment for Bill.

It’s a different journey with new rules and regulations to follow. Bill Belichick will go from coaching high-end professional athletes to coaching young adults in college with dreams of going to the NFL.

But in its purest form, it’s still coaching. Good luck finding anyone better at that than Belichick.

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Former Patriots staffer reportedly joining Bill Belichick at UNC

Bill Belichick is bringing backup with him to North Carolina

Bill Belichick is reportedly finalizing a deal to be the next head coach at the University of North Carolina, and it looks like he isn’t going alone.

Former Patriots assistant to the coaching staff Michael Lombardi is leaving VSiN to serve as the new general manager at North Carolina. VSiN revealed the news in a social media statement on Wednesday.

“VSiN host @mlombardiNFL leaving to join Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina,” the statement read. “Lombardi will serve as the football program’s GM. We wish him the best!”

Inside Carolina reported on Wednesday that Carolina and Belichick were closing in on a deal. Per The Athletic, it’s a five-year, $50 million deal for Belichick, who will be 73 years old when he stands on the Tar Heels sideline for the first time.

Coaching at the collegiate level will be a different challenge with recruiting, NIL, and the fact that Belichick will go from coaching grown men to kids out of high school.

But if anyone can make the jump, it would be a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.

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Patriots QB Drake Maye reacts to Bill Belichick coaching at UNC

Drake Maye commented on Bill Belichick coaching at North Carolina

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye was asked about Bill Belichick being in talks to land the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

The news wasn’t official at the time that Maye responded to the question from media members early Wednesday.

“He’s a legendary coach and the success he had here,” said Maye. “What a great place Chapel Hill is. Any time you have a legendary NFL coach going back to college, I think it’s cool. It’s pretty interesting for me. I think it’s not official yet. I think Belichick would love Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill is a great spot. …It’s a cool thing for a Hall of Fame coach to go back and coach college kids.”

On Wednesday evening, an initial report by Inside Carolina was confirmed by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Pete Thamel and Chris Low that UNC was finalizing a deal to hire Belichick as their next head coach.

The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is trading in his suit for a Carolina blue hoodie and a headset. It adds even more levels of weirdness to the situation that Maye, the 2023 starting quarterback for the team, is now positioned as the new franchise quarterback in New England.

One Patriot leaves and another takes over. Who would have ever thought this would be the way 2024 ended?

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Will Bill Belichick still appear on ESPN after becoming North Carolina head coach?

Bill Belichick still has an ESPN commitment to think about.

On early Wednesday evening, Bill Belichick reportedly became the head coach of North Carolina football as he finalizes a deal with the school. The eight-time Super Bowl champion will be entrusted to try and bring the program back to prominence. And he’s just the latest famous NFL coach to take a college job after leaving the league.

But with the Belichick era in North Carolina still at the very start, there’s one question some football fans might be thinking about first.

Will Belichick finish his ESPN television commitments? He still has one ManningCast left to appear on and has a separate deal about appearing on The Pat McAfee Show.

Well, according to The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch via Bluesky, Belichick’s North Carolina gig apparently won’t get in the way of any of that. He will likely still do some ESPN for a little while:

Expect to see more trademark Belichick deadpan jokes and analysis. Enjoy it while you can.

Report: UNC finalizing deal to hire Bill Belichick as next head coach

Get the light blue hoodie ready

The University of North Carolina is reportedly finalizing a deal to hire Bill Belichick as their next head coach.

Inside Carolina was the first to report the news on Wednesday.

Belichick confirmed on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday that he had multiple talks with the school about the vacancy left in the wake of former coach Mack Brown’s firing.

The entire move still feels surreal considering most expected Belichick to return to coaching in the NFL. There could be multiple job openings with coaches on the hot seat for multiple teams. Belichick is also only 15 wins away from breaking Don Schula’s all-time NFL wins record.

But it would appear as if the chance to chase history is taking the backseat to Belichick’s desire to coach at the collegiate level.

This is a huge get for North Carolina in their ability to hire a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach to lead their program. Legendary college coach Nick Saban recently claimed that he believes Belichick would do a “great job” at the collegiate level.

The football world is about to find out.

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