Bill Belichick earned high praise from his latest signee, 2026 three-star cornerback Marcellous Ryan.
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Recently, when asked why he committed to North Carolina, Ryan mentioned Belichick.
“He’s a living legend,” Ryan said.
Now, if UNC hired you to run their social media or IT department and you cite that as a reason, fine.
However, picking a school to potentially burn a year of eligibility on a coach is quite the state. Yet, we’re not going to chastise a current high school junior. Instead, let’s flip it to Belichick. Despite winning eight Super Bowl rings, part of his legacy still remains on the line.
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Granted, no one wants to readily accept that tumult followed the coaching hire. As a result, Belichick needs to turn the perennially mediocre Tarheels into winners.
Playing at traditional California football power Junipero Serra High, Ryan grabbed state, regional, and national attention with his current abilities and ceilings.
Standing five-foot-teen and weighing 160 pounds, Ryan currently profiles as a slot corner that looks like more of a cover corner than an aggressive tackler. With that said, Ryan still looks due for a growth spurt. After that, you can recheck and see where his progress resides.
For as happy as Ryan appears, Belichick will endure the cynical eye of a fanbase and alumni group that desperately wants to see UNC win meaningful games. Belichick offered up a 400-page program operations manual that the Tarheels willingly accepted and hired him.
He made the university accept his terms, and he is the unquestioned leader of the program. Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham really ceded the responsibility of taking care of the football program to a man who looks at this position as his last job.
Furthermore, the elephant in the room suggests that Belichick took the job with the knowledge the school would name his son, Steve, as his successor. Yes, the son of a legend with zero head coaching experience and limited college exposure will take the football helm of the state’s flagship university.
Fans and alums will not accept a 7-5 season. They achieved that with Mack Brown. Even then, Brown never handed over a coaching manifesto filled with orders and demands.
Ryan, upon his moving to campus, will be on the metaphorical clock. During his time in New England, the coach emphasized a three-word mantra, “do your job.” In essence, the onus falls on the players to execute Belichick’s plans.
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At the same time, the head coach needs to understand a couple of things. First, with 110 players, you don’t need to get down to 53. Under those circumstances, having a deep roster matters.
For all we know, Ryan may not see the field for a while. Yet, if he grinds, he will garner the attention of the staff. Next, like in the NFL, some college relationships are transactional. NIL means that coaches do not enjoy the same power and influence.
In fact, the worm turned, and the players assumed control and would not relent. Remember, in New England, when you reach what the coach perceived as an expiration date, he will let you go. Richard Seymour ended up as a Raider, and Lawyer Milloy bounced around, finishing in Atlanta.
Ryan still can get bigger and stronger this fall. Plus, the mental maturation progress means that he will see the field eventually. While respects Belichick, the cold reality occurs when he gets to Chapel Hill. Putting those pads on remains a different story.
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