The North Carolina Tar Heels need a steading hand at head coach following the firing of Mack Brown. Could former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick be the answer?
Bill Belichick To Become North Carolina’s Next Head Coach?
Brown’s return second stint in Chapel Hill ended in disaster.
Prior to North Carolina’s regular-season finale against the NC State Wolfpack, the winningest coach in program history said he planned to return in 2025. A day later, the school announced it was making a change at head coach, and Brown would not be back for next season.
Following the 35-30 home loss to the program’s in-state rivals, Brown expressed his disappointment with how the news was handled, saying he didn’t want his status to become a distraction for the players.
“Sally (Brown’s wife) and I both agree that it was time for a leadership change at the top,” Brown said during the postgame press conference. “I was just disappointed in the way it was done. We could’ve done a joint press conference, I could’ve stayed, and we could’ve worked all of this out where I worked here for a while. But that didn’t happen.”
John Preyer, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustees, also shared his displeasure during the conference, saying he wanted “more transparency about the hiring of a new coach than the lack of transparency on what happened to our Hall of Fame winning coach, and how he was fired.”
Still, the 73-year-old coach has come to grips with the reality of his situation and took some time after the game to wave to the fans and enjoy a final look at the field.
“I’m not mad,” Brown said. “I’m disappointed in the game tonight. But I’m not mad; I‘m not angry. I think it’s time to go. I always said for God to tell me when it’s time to go. And oh my gosh, this year, I’ve gotten a bunch of answers. And tonight just piled on. So I said, ‘I’ve got it, God, I’ve had enough, I hear you.’”
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In the end, Brown leaves Chapel Hill with 113 career victories, 11 bowl berths, and one ACC Championship Game appearance across his two tenures (1988-97 and 2019-24).
Up next for North Carolina: a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach?
After mutually parting ways with the Patriots in 2024, Belichick officially agreed to appear on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show every Monday afternoon during the 2024 NFL season. Then, during the Netflix special The Roast of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning revealed Belichick would join the Manningcast, an alternate live television broadcast of Monday Night Football.
However, it’s not as if Belichick wanted to go the media route already. The 72-year-old is just 15 wins away from passing Don Shula on the league’s all-time wins list and interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons’ job last offseason before they filled the role with Raheem Morris.
Belichick received offers to become the defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams but turned them down.
The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears already have head coaching vacancies this year, and the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Jacksonville Jaguars could join them come “Black Monday.”
Belichick has also been linked to the Dallas Cowboys, but owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly backed current leader Mike McCarthy, even hinting that he could earn a contract extension soon.
So, Belichick’s NFL options may be limited once again. Time for a different route?
Inside Carolina was the first to report that Belichick interviewed with the Tar Heels for the program’s opening, and several other outlets later confirmed the news. On The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, Dec. 9, Belichick shared that he met with UNC chancellor Lee H. Roberts for five hours the day before.
It was quite a shock, considering Belichick has never coached at the college level. Plus, when teams fire a head coach, they typically go in the opposite direction of their previous hire. Many believed UNC would target a younger, up-and-coming coach following several years of Brown at the helm.
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However, the program may prioritize experience over upside, and no other coach has a résumé even close to Belichick’s.
Belichick has quite literally seen it all in the NFL, and a move to the collegiate ranks would offer some novelty for the 72-year-old. Sure, the expansion of the transfer portal and NIL have generated waves, but the increased professionalism may actually play into Belichick’s strengths.
In fact, he said as much on The Pat McAfee Show, mentioning he spoke with several current collegiate coaches about the landscape:
“I’ll just say this. I think there are a lot of football programs being structured similar to NFL programs. … It seems like college football is more like pro football.”
Recruiting could be the largest change, but a strong supporting staff could alleviate much of the adaptation needed. Belichick also has a small connection to the program, as his father, Steve, served three years as an assistant coach on the Tar Heels football team from 1953-55.
Still, Belichick isn’t the North Carolina’s only option. The program has reportedly vetted Tulane Green Wave HC Jon Sumrall (who just agreed to a contract extension), Liberty Flames HC Jamey Chadwell, and Iowa State Cyclones HC Matt Campbell. Inside Carolina also reported that Georgia Bulldogs defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann is a possible candidate.
For North Carolina, a gamble on Belichick represents not just a coaching hire but a seismic shift in ambition, signaling the program’s intent to redefine itself on college football’s biggest stage.
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