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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the most respected academic institutions in the nation. Considered a “Southern Ivy,” the school often finds itself atop lists grading higher learning.
The North Carolina football program is taking a step away from that prestigious reputation according to former coach Mack Brown. He says the Tar Heels are lowering academic standards in order to help Bill Belichick win.
Mack Brown spent two separate stints in Chapel Hill as head football coach. He was able to achieve an incredible turnaround in his initial stop.
Brown’s first team at UNC went 1-10. His second did the same. From then on, he posted a 67-26-1 record across eight seasons. His last team went 11-1 and finished sixth in the final AP Poll. Brown then moved onto Texas, where he won a national title, before returning to North Carolina in 2019.
His second stint wasn’t quite as successful as his first. The Tar Heels went 44-33. Good, but not great. Brown was forced out in 2024. His last team went 6-6. The opening was filled by Bill Belichick this past offseason.
Mack Brown says North Carolina football is doing all it can to help Bill Belichick win.
That includes both lowering academic standards and increasing NIL support. He says the school has its new coach set up for success, which it wouldn’t do for Brown.
Mack Brown opens up on leaving UNC and shares with @DustyDvoracek & @dannykanell why UNC has a chance to be successful quickly with Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/Mj9yE3poOk
— College Sports on SiriusXM (@SXMCollege) May 20, 2025
“North Carolina didn’t have NIL money,” he said of his final season in Chapel Hill. “We were kind of a slow bleed. We weren’t able to recruit the top kids like we were when we first got there…
“We were looking for kids over a 3.0 [GPA]… We signed 26 players our next to last year, and didn’t pay them a penny… With Bill Belichick, they’ve committed money to it. They’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards some, so there’s absolutely no reason that they shouldn’t be successful.”
Mack Brown says North Carolina football didn’t give him the chance to succeed later in his career. They’re changing course with Belichick. They’ve put an emphasis on NIL spending while deprioritizing academics.
UNC is often tabbed as a Southern Ivy League school. It’s also considered one of the “Public Ivies.” High academic standards are synonymous with the school. They’ve almost always put the classroom first – outside of an academic scandal spanning two decades that allowed athletes to take fake classes.
The Tar Heels will be more lenient on future football players according to Mack Brown. They’ll look for immediate success under Bill Belichick, which would help neutralize the negative publicity that’s followed his hire.
Belichick’s relationship with his much younger girlfriend (fiancé?) has been a talking point this offseason. She’s inserted herself into the program with her self-appointed job duties of managing the coach’s brand.
Her control over both his professional and personal life have caused worry to many around Chapel Hill. It’s gotten to the point where she was reportedly banned from the football facility by higher ups. The university and its staff have been forced to release multiple statements and clarifications on her role and job title – neither of which are directly tied to North Carolina football.
The relationship even brought about speculation of Belichick leaving before ever coaching a game at the college level. It seems UNC is doing what it can to not only keep him put, but to help him win on the field.
Bill Belichick’s first offseason with the Tar Heels has been filled with headlines. Mack Brown just added another to the list.