Latest On Talks Between Bill Belichick & North Carolina

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports that talks are ongoing between the University of North Carolina and former Patriots HC Bill Belichick regarding UNC’s head coaching vacancy. 

Thamel adds a resolution is expected sometime this week. North Carolina has a sense of urgency to find a new head coach because the transfer portal opened today and will close at the end of the month, and it will be difficult to recruit without a coach in place. 

The Tar Heels moved on from former HC Mack Brown and since then have been connected to a few different professional coaches to fill their vacancy, including Steelers OC Arthur Smith who turned them down. 

Thamel adds two of the other leading candidates for North Carolina, Tulane HC John Sumrall and Iowa State HC Matt Campbell, are no longer expected to be in consideration. Chris Low reports UNC spoke to Army HC Jeff Monken about its vacancy, but that leaves Belichick as the most prominent name still in the mix. 

Thamel mentions it’s not clear how deep talks are between Belichick and North Carolina but they’ve been going on since last week with multiple interviews.

Another complicating factor is the nature of the Tar Heels’ search process, which has been scattered. Thamel notes there’s a big faction advocating for Belichick at the school led by Board of Trustees chair John Preyer. 

Belichick’s interest in the job seems thorough and sincere, according to some sources Thamel talked to, even though others with ties to the longtime coach who’s never coached at the college level before are skeptical he would make that leap now at this point in his career. 

Yet Mike Florio reports the lack of NFL interest in Belichick so far is playing a role. Belichick interviewed with just the Falcons last year and ultimately didn’t get the job, and Florio says Belichick is “very surprised” he hasn’t heard from any teams yet this year despite three having fired coaches already. 

Florio adds he can corroborate other reports that Belichick likes the idea of setting up his son, Washington DC Steve Belichick, with a chance to get a head coaching job as an heir apparent at North Carolina. 

There’s a school of thought still that Belichick is using this to try and create leverage for an NFL opportunity. But with negotiations still continuing between the two sides, and the Athletic reporting over the weekend that Belichick would accept the job if it was offered to him, it seems like there’s a real chance the next phase of Belichick’s career could come in Chapel Hill. 

Belichick, 72, got his start coaching in the NFL in 1975 with the then-Baltimore Colts. He had assistant jobs with the Lions and Broncos before landing with the Giants, where he eventually rose to defensive coordinator under legendary HC Bill Parcells. 

The Browns hired Belichick as head coach in 1991 and he was in the post for five years before being fired. He rejoined Parcells as an assistant with the Patriots and left to go with him to the Jets the following year.

He was slated to replace Parcells as head coach of the Jets in 2000 but infamously resigned and was hired by the Patriots, who had to give up a first-round pick to the Jets as compensation. Belichick has been in New England ever since, winning six Super Bowls in 24 years. 

For his career, Belichick has a record of 302-163 over 29 seasons (.655 W/L percentage) and has eight Super Bowl rings, six of them as head coach of the Patriots. He’s a three-time winner of the AP Coach of the Year award. 

We’ll have more on Belichick as the news is available.