Bill Belichick is officially a college coach.
But that doesn't mean that his new North Carolina work doesn't have an NFL feel.
Belichick, 72, began spring practice this week with Tar Heels and said his younger players accepted that he played for him and that from his perspective there was all the comparisons.
“The response was amazing,” Belichick told reporters Wednesday about coaching college players. “It's similar to what Rookie Minicamp is about, how time you spend with rookies. Certainly those kids are a little older, but they come from all different programs and different situations.
“So, it's starting to put it all together. Here's how we do it. Here's what our expectations are. This is what you need to succeed. They've accepted it, they tried to do it.”
In December, Belichick shocked the world of football when he signed a five-year contract to become North Carolina's next head coach.
He played college ball himself at Wesleyan, but jumped to the pro ranks when he joined the first NFL staff with the Colts a year after graduation.
Belichick, whose father Steve was an assistant at UNC from 1953 to 1955, remained in the NFL until 2023, winning eight Super Bowls.
However, after New England moved out of him and hired Jerod Mayo, Belichick was left without a coaching job when he didn't land any other gigs during the 2024 cycle.
He leaned over his TV and media duties, including appearing in the “Manning Cast” versions of “Monday Night Football” and “Pat McCuffy Show.”
Belichick said there's something “fun” about running a team again.
“That's the great thing about being a head coach. I can coach anyone I want,” Belichick said. “I can coach the line, I can scream on the tight edge, I can scream to DBS, I can scream to the kicker.
“I can go to any group I want and coach, and honestly, that's the fun part.”
Belichick's program could have felt the NFL this offseason. HBO's “Hard Knock” is set to record schools for the offseason version of the show before this week's deal collapses.
