The mega-hiring that seemed unthinkable just days ago is finally coming to fruition in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Bill Belichick, the eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, will not be returning to the NFL as some believed but instead heading to the NCAA to lead the North Carolina Tar Heels.
North Carolina has announced the hiring in a press release, specifying that he has agreed to a five-year deal “pending approval by the university’s board of trustees and board of governors.”
The 72-year-old has no college coaching experience, but it still would be familiar territory. His father was an assistant at Navy and also UNC.
Belichick reportedly provided the university with a 400-page “organizational bible,” with requirements to make his son, Stephen, the “head coach in waiting,” among other managerial necessities, per The Guardian’s Ollie Connolly.
It’s unclear whether the school has accepted them all, but Belichick’s acceptance of the position is a positive development.
USA Today’s Matt Hayes reported Wednesday that UNC will increase its NIL package from $4M to $20M as a result of Belichick’s hiring.
That will make the program’s recruiting tactics significantly stronger than they’ve ever been before, potentially leading to a resurgence in talent and competitiveness in a vulnerable conference.
The ACC does not seem to have a perennial power, with Florida State disappointing in nearly all facets and Miami stumbling from the College Football Playoff race at the final moments this year.
However, NIL money is not the end-all, be-all in college football.
Ohio State spent $20M in NIL on its roster for this season, but head coach Ryan Day still lost two games, including to rival Michigan for a fourth-straight year, which cost the Buckeyes the chance to play for the Big Ten title.
And running a college team like an NFL franchise, financially and organizationally, could offer more difficulties than solutions in the ever-evolving landscape.
Belichick is a smart manager, as evident by his time in New England, but whether that same mindset will successfully transfer to the college game is yet to be seen.
Previous attempts at an NFL-like program did not end successfully, most recently Arizona State’s brief tenure with Herm Edwards, which resulted in a myriad of rule violations and subsequent staff penalties.
More money will open up more doors and opportunities for Belichick and his staff to exploit in their attempt to revive UNC.
But whether it makes it sustainable, especially with a succession system in place, will be the most important result to monitor.
