Conference realignment rumors have been popping up all over the place this offseason, and head coach Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels are the latest team entering the fold. On Friday, insider Scott Hamilton appeared on “The Paul Finebaum Show.” In the episode, he spoke about how he had heard that the Tar Heels have a handshake agreement to join the SEC.
“I actually had a source today tell me that North Carolina has a handshake agreement with the SEC,” Hamilton said. “That same source tells me Virginia has one with the Big Ten. Now it needs some more vetting, some more reporting, but that pretty much says it all, that that school would be the one to actually maybe have some kind of verbal agreement, understanding, whatever, to go to elsewhere.
“I think it’s UNC No. 1, and then I think it’s Florida State-Clemson (or) Clemson-Florida State No. 2 after that,” he added.
Hamilton then discussed what a Bill Belichick-led North Carolina Tar Heels brand brings to the SEC. He mentioned that while the team has not won a conference title since the 80s, the team has a popular brand thanks to a variety of other factors.
“I think that talks about the brand of North Carolina and what that school brings – not just in football,” Hamilton said. “They haven’t won a conference title since 1980. But you look at the basketball, you look at the academics, you look at the Olympic sports. And of course, it doesn’t hurt to have that Jumpman logo tethered to your school colors.”
ACC Exit Fees Could Be an Obstacle for UNC Under Bill Belichick
It is not 100% confirmed, but if the rumors are true that the North Carolina Tar Heels are interested in joining the SEC, it is not surprising. The SEC is one of the premier conferences in college football and joining it would likely increase the team’s revenue. With Bill Belichick at the helm, the Tar Heels could become one of the biggest brands in college football.
However, a big obstacle for the team could be the ACC exit fees. Earlier in July, the ACC exit fees were revealed. The fee for this coming season is $165 million and would decrease progressively to $93 million until the 2029-30 academic year. Then, starting in 2030-31, the exit fee will be set at $75 million for the next several years.
ACC year-by-year exit fees, if any schools want to bolt
$165 million in 2025-26
$147 million in 2026-27
$129 million in 2027-28
$111 million in 2028-29
$93 million in 2029-30
$75 million in 2030-31
$75 million in 2031-32
$75 million in 2032-33
$75 million in 2033-34
$75 million…— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 3, 2025
This big a fee could cause the University of North Carolina to think twice about leaving the ACC.
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