Bill Belichick has embraced his role as the head coach of North Carolina’s football program. His first week on the job has been full of activity, and the iconic NFL coach has doubled down on recruiting and rebuilding the Tar Heels’ roster.
In the latest of his weekly appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick shared his recruiting process, providing insights on his approach to recruiting, and the progress made thus far.
Bill Belichick Shares North Carolina’s Recruiting Progress on Pat McAfee Show
In his last appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 72-year-old Belichick addressed the issue of recruiting, detailing his approach to the task and his expectations going forward.
“Mike Lombardi (UNC GM) and I were just talking about it. It’s very similar to what we went through post-draft process, and right at the beginning of free agency process all combined into one with the transfer portal,” Belichick said. “It’s exciting putting a team together.”
Belichick explained that the program is taking advantage of the current transfer window to ensure they’re adequately prepared for the 2025 season. He also mentioned that “a number of players” will be joining the program through the transfer portal this week, highlighting the need for speed and efficiency.
This prompted McAfee to ask about UNC’s approach to recruiting, whether they are selling the program or being hounded by interested players.
Belichick responded saying, “We’re selling the program but quite honestly, Pat, a lot of players and agents are coming to us saying, ‘We want to be part of the program. Is there a spot for us? Would you take this player, that player?’ and so forth.
“A lot of the agents are also representing players in the transfer portal that we’ve dealt with in the National Football League. So a lot of these relationships carry over to college football.”
“We’ve been talking to a number of players and we’ve got guys coming in every day this week..
We’re selling the program but a lot of players and agents are coming to us saying that we wanna be part of the program” ~ Coach Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/OI5Bcy9vji
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 16, 2024
While Belichick has decades worth of coaching experience in the NFL, he’s new to the college football scene and has his work cut out for him. He’s still assembling his coaching staff and familiarizing himself with his current roster, feeling out the environment and getting adjusted.
Regardless, he’ll have to compete against head coaches that have years of experience coaching at the collegiate level. But if there’s anyone who can pull this off, it has to be Belichick.
Bill Belichick Signs Holy Cross Offensive Lineman Christo Kelly
Legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick has gone straight to work in his first week as the head coach of North Carolina’s football program. Last week, Belichick signed a five-year deal with UNC to serve as their head coach, and in a matter of days, he’s already secured his first transfer player, former Holy Cross offensive lineman Christo Kelly.
MORE: Track Every Transfer Portal Athlete in CFN’s Exclusive Transfer Portal Tracker
Kelly joined Holy Cross in 2020 and went on to become one of the best players on their roster. He started 22 games across the last two seasons, helping them attain the Patriot League title in 2024, a feat they’ve accomplished for six consecutive seasons.
The 6’4, 305-pound offensive lineman will be an excellent addition to the Tar Heels and will bring a wealth of experience along with him.
Securing Kelly as the first transfer brings a lot of optimism to the Belichick era, especially since several analysts have questioned his ability to recruit. According to Belichick, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
“We’ve been talking to a number of players and we have more coming in this week as part of the portal. That closes on Sunday, so we’ve got guys coming in pretty much everyday this week,” Belichick said in his latest appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
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