Getty Image / Maddie Meyer
Bill Belichick, widely considered the GOAT of NFL head coaches, has never coached in college football, having spent nearly fifty straight years in the NFL. But, that could be changing, as Bill has his eyes on the college game.
On Thursday afternoon, a bombshell report of Bill Belichick interviewing for the open University of North Carolina head coaching position vacated by Mack Brown hit the news. Needless to say, most of the football world is stunned by this development.
After winning six Super Bowls in a dynastic run as the New England Patriots head coach and de-facto general manager from 2000-2023, Belichick and the Patriots parted ways after the team missed the playoffs for the second straght year and third time in four years. This year, he’s done media work with ESPN, CW, and own his own YouTube channel. Many expected him to have an eye towards coaching next year, and it seems like that’s indeed the case.
But, most people expected that to be in the NFL as a top candidate for a vacant head coaching job. A college job wasn’t even thought of by most. A report by Inside Carolina might change that.
Inside Carolina reported that Bill Belichick has indeed interviewed for the job, alongside some of the other known candidates for the job like Tulane Coach Jon Sumrall and Army coach Jeff Monken.
People are casting doubt on the report, and others can’t believe that Belichick would coach in college.
I can't see any circumstance where this actually occurred.
— Travis Hawkins 🌊 (@TDHawk21) December 5, 2024
Theres no way Bill coaches in college. The whole point of him coming back is to get the wins record in the NFL.
— Drake Maye Enjoyer (@MayeEnjoyer10) December 5, 2024
But, Inside Carolina is a pretty unimpeachable source of information for North Carolina athletics. It’s not some random blog, they’ve been at this a long time.
From North Carolina’s perspective, this doesn’t make a ton of sense. Yes, Bill Belichick is a fantastic football coach. But, one of the reasons that Mack Brown was let go was because of his advanced age at 73 and inability to adapt to the modern version of college football. How would 72-year old Bill Belichick, who has never even coached in college, fare any better?
I can’t imagine a deal getting done here, but it’s still incredible that Belichick took the interview.
Bill’s son Steve serves as the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.