CHAPEL HILL – On Monday, now-North Carolina Football Coach Bill Belichick appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, where he laid out his vision were he to accept the head coaching job at UNC.
He detailed an outline for the program and desire to create a a pipeline from Chapel Hill to the NFL.
“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said during his weekly appearance.
Three days later, the hypothetical “if” turned into a reality, as the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach held an introductory press conference inside Kenan Stadium on Thursday. Now, he is UNC’s coach.
The legend expanded on his original comments, doubling down and reiterating a desire to bring an NFL mindset to the college game.
“In terms of when I say a pro program, I would say through my experience, what we did in terms of training, developing players, running pro systems, pro techniques, so when players leave here, they’re not going from the wishbone to a pro offense,” said Belichick.
“There will be similar terminology, similar techniques and fundamentals, similar training, similar preparation techniques that have been very successful for me through the years and that I know that other NFL teams are using, whether other college teams are using or not.”
Belichick also confirmed that there will be a “strong presence” of NFL coaches on the staff, and that the presence of former NFL personnel will extend to the training staff.
In his year absence from coaching, Belichick often visited the University of Washington, where his son, Stephen, is serving as the defensive coordinator under Jedd Fisch. What he witnessed with the Huskies helped create a proverbial blueprint for North Carolina.
“[I] spent a lot of time around the Washington program. I saw a lot of what they did,” said Belichick. “And I think Coach Fisch runs a pro program, if you will, modeled after a pro program. I think it's very similar to what my thoughts will be on what Michael (Lombardi) and I have talked about.”
Lombardi was Belichick’s first hire at UNC, as the highly regarded former NFL general manager will have that role now at Carolina.
With the changing landscape in the college football world from the transfer portal to NIL, the lines between the two have become increasingly blurred. Free agency is the equivalent of the transfer portal, and a salary has become akin to NIL money.
Even with a player’s ability to exit a program at a moment’s notice or enter “free agency” on a yearly basis, development is an important pillar for Belichick’s plan at UNC. From time management to discipline, the implementation of life skills would benefit both those with an NFL future and those who enter the professional space.
“The lessons they learn will be professional lessons. They will be pros in all areas,” said Belichick. “That’s what we want to develop as having a winning program [and] a successful program.”
On the field, the 72-year-old referenced his experience with the New England Patriots and the development of late-round draft picks and undrafted free agents into NFL stars.
“If you look at the players we had in the NFL, Tom Brady was a fourth-string quarterback his rookie year. He didn't exactly come in with any playing time at all. (Rob) Gronkowski, he didn't do too much his rookie year,” said Belichick. “Julian Edelman played quarterback in college, then he was a wide receiver, then he was a punt returner. So, developing players is something that Michael (Lombardi) and I believe strongly in, and we'll support that with the staff, and we'll support that with the program.”
Perhaps the most notable parallel between the NFL and Belichick’s vision for North Carolina is the organizational structure he plans to set in place. While his arrival signals a confirmed dedication to football at the school with the increased salaries for the coaching staff, the shift towards a front office-like model is a true outlier.
Part of Belichick’s negotiations were to ensure that the Tar Heels had the necessary resources to help create a solid infrastructure. This included reshuffling the deck to create new positions whose sole focus is to handle things such as finances and player personnel.
The traditional college football office will look much different than the one at UNC, which will have roles more aligned to those at the professional level.
An NFL team may not be present in Chapel Hill, but with the arrival of Belichick, he hopes to create a roadmap that ensures it is the next step for those playing football at North Carolina, and that their transition is as smooth as possible.
