Bill Belichick college rumors tracker: Latest news on UNC, other options for NFL coaching legend

Bill Belichick college rumors tracker: Latest news on UNC, other options for NFL coaching legend

Bill Belichick is considered the best NFL head coach of all-time. His dynasty with the Patriots from 2000-23 resulted in six Super Bowls. 

All good things must come to an end, though. Belichick and the New England front office no longer saw eye-to-eye, resulting in Belichick and the franchise agreeing to part ways. The head coach went through the 2024 coaching search and was linked to the Falcons opening. It was eventually filled with Raheem Morris leaving Belichick to spend the 2024-2025 season doing TV analysis. 

The future Hall of Fame coach has had enough of the media market and is itching to get back into coaching. While he was expected to be involved in the upcoming NFL coaching carousel, his name was actually linked to a college team. The University of North Carolina is coming off a 6-6 season and former head coach Mack Brown’s firing. Now, UNC is talking with Belichick about its vacancy. 

Here are the latest rumors linking Belichick to the Tar Heels.

MORE BILL BELICHICK NEWS:

Bill Belichick news: Latest updates, rumors on UNC head coaching job

No deal yet for either side

Date: Dec. 10

Source: The Athletic

Connolly’s report that Belichick had agreed to become the head coach and was just waiting on UNC, wasn’t confirmed by any other sources. The Athletic put out a story about interest on both sides but specified that at this time, there is no deal in place. Terms are being negotiated, so a deal isn’t off the table, but there really hasn’t been a change. 

Belichick has agreed to UNC job, sent 400-page plan to program

Date: Dec. 10

Source: Ollie Connolly

Connolly is back again with the news. He is the only person saying that Belichick has agreed to take the job. In the head coach’s acceptance, he passed along a 400-page document detailing his stipulations and vision for the program that would need to be agreed upon by UNC. 

MORE: Revisiting Bill Belichick’s college football playing career

Belichick joins the Pat McAfee Show

Date: Dec. 9

Source: Himself, Pat McAfee Show

The former Patriots head coach has spent this season doing various appearances on ESPN and the Pat McAfee Show. On Monday’s episode, he confirmed that he had been in talks with UNC about its vacancy. Belichick said that if he were to take a college job, and he emphasized if, he would make it into a professional program that has a pipeline to the NFL.

MORE: Meet Bill Belichick’s coach-filled family tree

Belichick’s son coach in waiting?

Date: Dec. 6

Source: Ollie Connolly

This report hasn’t been confirmed, but it is worth including. Connolly says his sources say that one of Belichick’s stipulations is that his son would be the head coach in waiting, meaning that once Bill decides to leave the program, Stephen would take over. 

Other stipulations in the unconfirmed report say that Belichick’s staff would include Matt Patricia, Ben McDaniels. and another school’s current GM. 

Belichick interviews for UNC opening

Date: December 5

Source: InsideCarolina, Brett McMurphy

News broke that Belichick had interviewed for the head football coaching job at UNC. It’s a sentence that feels like a Mad Lib for many reasons. One, Belichick has never coached in college. Two, he’s the greatest NFL head coach of all time, and UNC is new to actually caring about its football team. Finally, Brown was thought to be too old at 73, and Belichick is just eight months younger.