Bill Belichick has spent his entire 48-year coaching career in the NFL. Could he make a hard pivot in 2025?
The former New England Patriots head coach has interviewed for the University of North Carolina head coach opening, Grant Hughes of 247Sports reported Thursday.
According to Hughes, Belichick is "among a group of candidates" for the position, which became available after UNC fired Mack Brown on Nov. 26. Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall and Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann also are on that list, per Hughes.
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Hughes' report comes a day after 98.5 The Sports Hub's Tony Massarotti said he heard Belichick was "sniffing around" about the UNC job.
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Belichick even interviewing for a college coaching job would be a surprising development. Belichick has been busy with multiple media obligations since the Patriots fired him in January following a 4-13 campaign, but the widespread assumption was that he'd return to coaching at the NFL level in 2025.
High-profile teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and New York Giants could be looking for a head coach next season, and Belichick has been linked to the Jacksonville Jaguars as well.
So, why would the greatest coach in NFL history pass up on the chance to break Don Shula's all-time wins record to join the college ranks -- especially for a middling UNC program that doesn't play in a super-conference like the Big Ten or the SEC?
First of all, it's possible that Belichick is just kicking the tires here. Perhaps he wants to shake off some rust with a relatively low-stakes interview before turning his attention to the NFL. Or perhaps he's genuinely curious about coaching a college program and all that would entail.
In that vein, if Belichick is truly interested in having "full control" of a program -- which apparently was a sticking point in his failed pursuit of the Atlanta Falcons job this past winter -- he may have better luck at the college level, where head coaches at big-name schools are often the biggest attraction and have their hand in all levels of the operation from offseason recruiting to in-game management.
At the very least, Belichick's apparent interest in a college job is worth monitoring. And if he does somehow land in Chapel Hill, perhaps his opinion of Drake Maye would change.
UPDATE (4:30 p.m. ET): Andrew Carter of the Charlotte News & Observer confirmed Belichick's interview with UNC, but suggested it was "extremely unlikely" Belichick would land the job due to his "age and lack of college experience."
Source confirms @InsideCarolina report that Bill Belichick interviewed for UNC’s head coaching vacancy.
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) December 5, 2024
“He blew them away in the interview.”
Am told Belichick’s interest is high, and genuine. But extremely unlikely to happen due to his age (72) and lack of college experience.