5 reasons why Bill Belichick coaching UNC football is a brilliant move

Bill Belichick has always been a keen thinker, putting him steps ahead of the opponent he’s facing. It’s reasonable to believe that Belichick poured the same amount of strategy into his decision to coach college football at the University of North Carolina. While it’s a surprising move, Belichick’s new role is a perfect fit for five main reasons. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

When people think about Bill Belichick, they think of the greatest coach in NFL history, and rightfully so. With that being said, Belichick eats, sleeps and breathes football, and loves to impart his extensive knowledge of the game to others. The Washington Post wrote a story called “Why is Bill Belichick going back to college? Because he’s a teacher first.”

David Halberstam wrote a book called 'Bill Belichick: The Education of a Coach.' The journalist and author got to know what made Belichick tick. Halberstam once said in 2005, “I mean, you could almost see him, when this is done, saying OK I’m going to go teach at an Ivy League school or something like that. I’m going to do something smaller, without as much pressure.”

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Belichick has given out pearls of wisdom at the NFL level and been largely successful, but he’s going to have a chance to really mold players in their formative years at ages 18-22. While there’s skepticism that Belichick can connect with the younger generation, learning lessons of discipline at that point in life could be greatly beneficial for his players both on and off the field.

There’s also been a lot of discussion about how and if Belichick will take naturally to recruiting. Will he routinely appear in the living rooms of high school prospects throughout the country? That remains to be seen, but Belichick might not have to come up with long-winded presentations because he has the premier selling point; he coached Tom Brady.

While coaches should be respected for their contributions and accomplishments, teenagers playing football are going to be more captivated by their favorite NFL stars. Belichick’s ability to talk about the greatest player of all time in such detail will likely tantalize a lot of prospects to come to North Carolina.

Having said all that, Bill Belichick himself knows that he’s entering a new world, and that he’ll need experienced professionals to help him out on his journey. To that end, Yahoo Sports reported that Belichick is targeting the University of Kentucky’s Vince Marrow to augment his staff with the Tar Heels. Marrow is known as a tremendous recruiter, and can help fill in the blanks.

By accepting the UNC job, Bill Belichick greatly diminished his chances of ever setting foot on an NFL sideline again as a head coach. That might seem like a defeatist way of looking at things, but it actually might be the best thing for him. His impeccable resume may remain as such, with little chance for future tarnishing.

After Tom Brady left the New England Patriots prior to the 2020 season, Belichick didn’t have as much success. New England went 29-38 in the four seasons with Belichick but without Brady, which raised questions about just how integral Belichick was to the Patriots’ dynasty. That narrative might not be entirely fair, but it would have persisted had Belichick taken another NFL job.

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Belichick taking another NFL job might have been similar to Michael Jordan playing for the Washington Wizards at the end of his NBA career. Jordan’s legacy was secure by that point, but it wasn’t necessary to have him come back on a struggling Wizards teams. The same could be said of Belichick, were he to fall short of expectations at a different NFL stop.

Belichick’s move to North Carolina essentially closes the door on his NFL legacy, but he still has a chance to write a couple more chapters in his overall football legacy, without penalty. Former UNC football great and Belichick player Lawrence Taylor told ESPN, “All I can say is that Carolina’s got a chance to win it all again now.” That would be a major accomplishment for Belichick.

If Belichick’s tenure with the Tar Heels program is a disaster, the story can shift to the fact that a seventy-something year old took a big swing on something he had never done before. If the former New England Patriots coach is successful, then his ability to build winning teams at two different levels would be celebrated.

Belichick said in his opening press conference on campus, “I’ve always wanted to coach in college football. It just never really worked out. Had some good years in the NFL, so that was OK, but this was really a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, who was in it for 50 years.”

One of the biggest questions surrounding Belichick’s move to college football involve how he will adjust to a different level of the game. The fortunate thing for Belichick is, NCAA football has never resembled the NFL as much as it does right now.

Throughout most of college football history, the means of improving a program mostly involved recruiting the best high school prospects. That’s still important today, but the ability for players to switch schools is more prevalent than ever. Belichick would be familiar with this level of roster turnover from his days working through NFL free agency.

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Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Brandt wrote, “Bill Belichick’s move to UNC tracks with the professionalization of college sports.” In addition to the transfer portal, Belichick and his staff will also distribute NIL deals to players, deciding how much of the pie should go to each prized prospect. That’s essentially no different than managing a salary cap in the NFL.