‘Bill Belichick answers to Bill Belichick’ – NFL legend’s college football masterplan revealed as North Carolina job is confirmed
Bill Belichick has found his new home. The six-time Super Bowl winning head coach has landed his first coaching role since leaving the New England Patriots. Belichick has been linked with a return to the sidelines, in a shocking twistGetty Images Belichick will be patrolling the sidelines in Chapel Hill in Carolina blue next season as the next head football coach at the University of North Carolina. “This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition. I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football.” Meanwhile, Belichick added: “I am excited for the opportunity. 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.” Off the back of his open pitch on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, it has been claimed that Belichick handed the university a 400-page ‘organizational bible’ that includes outlines on payment plans, staffing decisions, salary pools by position, etc. Belichick also wants to hire two staffs – a coaching staff ran by himself, and a recruitment staff, ran by a sitting college general manager. It will take historic and unprecedented levels for the athletic director, chancellor, trustees and boosters to all be on board with Belichick’s masterplan. When the reports first surfaced that Belichick and UNC had mutual interest in one another, it was assumed that both sides were just using this as a ploy to gain leverage for future jobs and candidates. GettyAll eyes will be on North Carolina if they accept Belichick’s list of demands[/caption] But it is now a very real outcome and Belichick is heading to the college level. It’s a major surprise, as it was presumed Belichick would find his way back to the NFL after taking a year off from coaching, particularly with three job openings already in the big league and the suggestion more will follow. Steve Wyche, the chief national reporter for NFL Network, spoke exclusively to talkSPORT to shed light on the Belichick buzz to North Carolina. “In terms of Belichick exploring the college opportunity, to me that says the guy really wants to coach,” Wyche said. “I don’t think he fits with today’s college functionality. He talks about, ‘Hey, I can run it like an NFL team.’ “They already to some degree run like NFL teams, where having to pay players this NIL, name, image and likeness deal. “You’re dealing with actual agents who are brokering which players get paid, where the money comes from, you have to deal with so much. ‘People say, ‘Oh, he can’t go out and recruit.’ “He won’t need to go out and sit in the kid’s living room and recruit. Deion Sanders doesn’t go out of Colorado and recruit kids. He doesn’t go to homes. He doesn’t necessarily need to do that. “But every other function, Bill Belichick is used to answering to Bill Belichick. “When you have to answer to a board of directors and boosters and these maniacal collegiate fan bases, that is something that would be different for him. “I just don’t, I don’t know how it fits.” It is an odd choice for a 72-year-old, wanting to try and run a college program. However, as Wyche alluded to, now more than ever, are collegiate programs being ran like NFL organizations. Belichick has done that better than anyone in the history of the National Football League, as he presided over the most successful dynasty in the sport. All eyes will now be Chapel Hill next season, as Belichick returns to the sideline. It will be fascinating to see how he runs the program and how much autonomy the University of North Carolina is actually comfortable giving Belichick. As Wyche said: “Bill Belichick is used to answering to Bill Belichick.” talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and stay up to date with the latest from around the league via our dedicated YouTube channel, and our weekly review show
Bill Belichick has found his new home.
The six-time Super Bowl winning head coach has landed his first coaching role since leaving the New England Patriots.
Belichick will be patrolling the sidelines in Chapel Hill in Carolina blue next season as the next head football coach at the University of North Carolina.
“This is an exciting day for Carolina football and our University,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts.
“Carolina is committed to excellence and to creating an opportunity to succeed in everything we do, from the classroom to the field of competition.
I know after speaking with Coach Belichick that he shares that commitment. His legacy speaks for itself, and we look forward to working together on the next chapter of Carolina football.”
Meanwhile, Belichick added: “I am excited for the opportunity. 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.”
Off the back of his open pitch on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, it has been claimed that Belichick handed the university a 400-page ‘organizational bible’ that includes outlines on payment plans, staffing decisions, salary pools by position, etc.
Belichick also wants to hire two staffs – a coaching staff ran by himself, and a recruitment staff, ran by a sitting college general manager.
It will take historic and unprecedented levels for the athletic director, chancellor, trustees and boosters to all be on board with Belichick’s masterplan.
When the reports first surfaced that Belichick and UNC had mutual interest in one another, it was assumed that both sides were just using this as a ploy to gain leverage for future jobs and candidates.
But it is now a very real outcome and Belichick is heading to the college level.
It’s a major surprise, as it was presumed Belichick would find his way back to the NFL after taking a year off from coaching, particularly with three job openings already in the big league and the suggestion more will follow.
Steve Wyche, the chief national reporter for NFL Network, spoke exclusively to talkSPORT to shed light on the Belichick buzz to North Carolina.
“In terms of Belichick exploring the college opportunity, to me that says the guy really wants to coach,” Wyche said.
“I don’t think he fits with today’s college functionality. He talks about, ‘Hey, I can run it like an NFL team.’
“They already to some degree run like NFL teams, where having to pay players this NIL, name, image and likeness deal.
“You’re dealing with actual agents who are brokering which players get paid, where the money comes from, you have to deal with so much.
‘People say, ‘Oh, he can’t go out and recruit.’
“He won’t need to go out and sit in the kid’s living room and recruit. Deion Sanders doesn’t go out of Colorado and recruit kids. He doesn’t go to homes. He doesn’t necessarily need to do that.
“But every other function, Bill Belichick is used to answering to Bill Belichick.
“When you have to answer to a board of directors and boosters and these maniacal collegiate fan bases, that is something that would be different for him.
“I just don’t, I don’t know how it fits.”
It is an odd choice for a 72-year-old, wanting to try and run a college program.
However, as Wyche alluded to, now more than ever, are collegiate programs being ran like NFL organizations.
Belichick has done that better than anyone in the history of the National Football League, as he presided over the most successful dynasty in the sport.
All eyes will now be Chapel Hill next season, as Belichick returns to the sideline.
It will be fascinating to see how he runs the program and how much autonomy the University of North Carolina is actually comfortable giving Belichick.
As Wyche said: “Bill Belichick is used to answering to Bill Belichick.”
talkSPORT is your home of the NFL on UK radio, and stay up to date with the latest from around the league via our dedicated YouTube channel, and our weekly review show
