From rumors to signings to press conferences, it's been a whirlwind 24 hours for the North Carolina Tar Heels as legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick heads up a college football program for the first time in his illustrious career.
Belichick sat in front of the media at his introductory press conference as the Tar Heels' new head coach, a move that no college football fan would have guessed until last week when rumors started circulating that Belichick was interested in running the program. It's an idea.
Belichick, who is 27 wins away from becoming the winningest head coach in NFL history, was always expected to return to the pros if he wanted to continue coaching.
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Bill Belichick, new head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagine Images)
But the 72-year-old explained on Thursday afternoon why he chose the university path.
“I always wanted to coach college football,” Belichick said. “It didn't work out at all, which was OK because I had a few good years in the NFL, but this really was a dream come true.”
Bill Belichick agrees to become UNC's next head football coach
Belichick is clearly humble, saying his time in the NFL was just “good.”
Before the Kansas City Chiefs, he built the New England Patriots into a dynasty, winning six Super Bowls and racking up victories that led to an argument for being the greatest head coach in NFL history.
But college football is going to be a whole lot different, especially in this new NIL world. But these aren't waters Belichick just wants to dip into. He dives straight in and has no intention of getting out.
“I didn't come here to quit,” he said, dispelling for now the idea that he's just trying to coach again before the next NFL opportunity opens up.
Belichick said that while the processes may be different, there are “a lot of similarities” between the pros and college. That's why Michael Lombardi, who knows how Belichick works given their time together in New England, will be installed as the team's general manager.
North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick answers questions during a press conference at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagine Images)
“I think that's the reason for the whole structure of Michael being the general manager and me being the coach, and why we're working together like we've done in a professional structure,” Belichick explained.
Belichick knows he has to take it one day at a time in order to make this big leap into success. That starts with building the coaching staff, with the addition of Freddie Kitchens already mentioned. Further announcements should be made in the coming weeks.
It's interesting to see Coach Belichick's focus on recruiting rather than the draft, but it's been reported that Belichick wants UNC to have adequate NIL resources to secure top talent to increase the program's competitiveness. It is being
He understands what it means to be successful in Chapel Hill, as his father, Steve Belichick, who coached the Tar Heels in the 1950s, also attended the program as a child. .
New North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick speaks to the media at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagine Images)
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“I take great pride in this program and want to do everything I can to take it to the highest level,” he said.
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