As we reported more than two weeks ago, Natrone Means was retained by new North Carolina Football Coach Bill Belichick. His role has now been solidified as multiple sources have confirmed to Tar Heel Illustrated that Means is now the program’s running backs coach.

Means was brought in by former UNC Coach Mack Brown as an offensive analyst in 2021. He primarily worked with running backs and eventually did plenty of on-field coaching. The players in that position group often spoke about him with tremendous reverence, and Means was highly respected by the previous staff.

An alum of Central Cabarrus High School in Concord, NC, Means was a two-time first-team All-ACC running back for the Tar Heels from 1990-92. He finished his UNC career with 3,074 yards rushing, 34 touchdowns and also caught 61 passes for 500 yards.

He spent seven seasons int eh NFL which included playing in Super Bowl XXIX with the San Diego Chargers where he became the youngest player at 22 years of age to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl.

Means concluded his NFL career with 5,215 yards rushing and 45 touchdowns. He was named All-Pro and played in the Pro Bowl after the 1994 season when he ran for 1,350 yards and 12 scores.

In 2009, he was honored as a member of the San Diego Chargers’ 50th Anniversary Team and was a finalist in 2012 to be inducted into the San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame.

Before spending the last four years at UNC, Means served as running backs coach at Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem State, where he was associate head coach in 2019. His first college coaching job was at Livingstone College in 2005. He was running backs coach and eventually offensive coordinator.