It’s not a surprise that Bill Belichick is starting to position himself to claim a head coaching job for the 2025 season.
It was however a surprise that the first job he was linked to in months came in the college ranks.
Inside Carolina first reported Thursday that Bill Belichick interviewed to be the head coach with North Carolina. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer and Pat Forde along with The Athletic’s Dianna Russini confirmed the report.
But MassLive’s Karen Guregian added interesting context to Belichick’s pursuit with North Carolina as it seems the legendary head coach might just be doing some window shopping at the moment. Guregian wrote that Belichick’s interest in joining North Carolina “may only be cosmetic at this point.”
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that North Carolina is doing a favor for Belichick. It gets Belchick’s name back out there after he spent this past season doing an array of media gigs to improve his image while it gives an underwhelming college football program clout for interviewing a six-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots.
It’s hard to imagine a coach as decorated as Belichick, who is 15 wins shy of breaking Don Shula’s all-time wins mark, setting up shop for a North Carolina program which last won an ACC championship in 1980. Perhaps he’s using the generated buzz as a stepping stone to land a bigger job, whether that’s in college or in the NFL. After all, Ryan Day is on the hot seat at Ohio State, especially after losing to Michigan, and that would be a much more high-profiled job and more fitting of someone with Belichick’s stature if he decided to be a first-time college coach.
But Breer and Forde reported that Belichick is taking the potential opportunity with North Carolina seriously.
“His interest was believed to be centered on a return to the NFL — which still could be in play — but multiple sources say Belichick has been in discussions with North Carolina for several days and has a genuine interest in the college game,” Breer and Forde wrote.
The Tar Heels fired 73-year-old Mack Brown last week and it was assumed they would search for a younger coach. Belichick, who will turn 73 in April, certainly doesn’t fit that description.
But it feels like the connection between Belichick and North Carolina is the jumping off point to Belichick being linked to several head coaching jobs over the coming months.
