CHAPEL HILL – Bill Belichick hit the ground sprinting Thursday even before his formal introduction as North Carolina’s new football coach.
He reeled in longtime NFL scout and player personnel director Michael Lombardi before the intro at Kenan Stadium. No other hires have been finalized at this time, but expect Belichick to put together a staff that will be heavy on NFL experience and embedded in understanding how the college football landscape is vastly changing.
Lombardi’s staff will fall under salary umbrella of $5.3 million, which doesn’t include the rest of its operational budget. Sources have indicated to Tar Heel Illustrated he could end up with a high school and college scouting service of 30 people.
That would dwarf the crew that has worked under Pat Suddes, who has done a remarkable job working with a thin budget and UNC’s roster limitations due to its minimal waivering of academic requirements for prospective players. And he’d done that with a small staff.
“So grateful to have Michael with me in this process,” Belichick said during Thursday’s presser. “Michael and I have worked together for going all the way back over 30 years, and he has a great knowledge of the general manager role in this type of position in terms of scouting two sets of players: high school players and college portal players, as well as dealing with some version of a salary cap, which is now, you know, part of college football.”
Belichick says he will employ offensive and defensive schemes that best attack or prevent opponents, given the side of the ball. However, the foundation will be much like what the players will experience in the NFL, so expect plenty of assistants who have spent time at the next level.
His son, Stephen, is currently finishing his first year as defensive coordinator at Washington, but previously worked for his father with the New England Patriots for 12 seasons. Belichick said he isn’t sure if Stephen will be on his UNC staff, and sources very close to the situation said none of the negotiations to land the legendary head coach includes discussion about his son. So, that remains to be seen.
"On the staff, we'll hire the best coaches we can hire,” said Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the head man with the Patriots and two as defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. “I want to do everything I can to help this program and make it as strong as possible. So, we'll hire the best ones we can get. There are several college coaches that are involved in bowl games and so forth, so I wouldn't interfere with the process at those schools with their commitments to their team.”
Unlike predecessor Mack Brown, Belichick will have more money for his assistant coaches than any other ACC team, and among the tops in the nation. His contract calls for $10 million in base salary, but sources indicate that could go much higher with bonuses. So, UNC should be highly attractive to prospective assistants for many reasons, including financially, which hasn’t been the case in recent decades.
“We'll see how it goes,” Belichick said. “But look, in the end, I've already had a lot of people contact me. There'll certainly be a strong presence of NFL people on the staff. I think that's a certainty, and not only in the staff but in the training area, but at the same time, looking for the best people we can get for Carolina that fit. I think it's a little different than what an NFL team would have, but we'll see."
In addition to filling out his staff, which include newly created roles in a mock front office, Belichick is also tediously combing over the roster. He started that to a degree in the fall, once he earmarked North Carolina as a program he wanted to lead if the job came open. But now he can watch the current Tar Heels practice in preparation for their game against Connecticut in the Fenway Bowl on December 28.
Belichick isn’t coaching the team for the bowl, but Freddie Kitchens is the team’s interim coach. Kitchens was Brown’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator the last two seasons, and he will stick around and serve on Belichick’s staff.
So, there is a small degree of transition already taking place for the Tar Heels that will remain on the roster into the 2025 season.
“They're working out there now getting ready for the bowl game, so they're practicing on a daily basis,” Belichick said. “And you know, I'm in very close contact with Coach Kitchens, and Michael and I are here now, so we'll start the process and take advantage of all opportunities we get.
“Some of those are in person, some of those are in training, some of those are on film and so forth. You know, some players are injured, and those wouldn't be able to be evaluated now, but there are other ways to look at them, what they did in the past, and try to project what their future is."
At 72 years of age, Belichick has launched into something quite different, only that maybe it really isn’t in many respects. The blending of the NFL and what was once the college platform brought him to Chapel Hill.
And he is off and running in this new adventure.
