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North Carolina football caught the college world by surprise in interviewing Bill Belichick Thursday. The Tar Heels are reportedly the only football team to interview the legendary NFL coach. Armed with six Super Bowl wins as a head coach, Belichick has a beyond attractive resume for UNC.
But one insider reports Belichick won't be roaming the sidelines at Chapel Hill. Despite interviewing and “blowing away” the interview, Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer doesn't see the longtime NFL head coach taking over the Heels.
“Am told Belichick’s interest is high, and genuine. But extremely unlikely to happen due to his age (72) and lack of college experience,” Carter said.
The idea of Belichick overtaking the UNC job came with jokes pouring in. Many fans ridiculed the idea of the 72-year-old head coach attempting to use Name Image and Likeness (NIL) on recruits. Others began envisioning Tik Tok videos of Belichick dancing with recruits — a la LSU head coach Brian Kelly from 2022.
Plus, UNC fired an older head coach in Mack Brown during the season. Brown, 73, delivered two stints on the campus. He coached the Heels from 1988 to 1997, then 2019 to 2024. But his latter run saw none of his Tar Heel teams surpass nine victories each season. Brown leaves Chapel Hill with a 6-6 mark before his dismissal. He will not coach in the Heels' upcoming bowl game.
Belichick isn't the only prominent coaching name with NFL ties linked to the UNC opening. Former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith emerged as a contender for the opening. The current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator is a former Tar Heels player. However, Smith turned down the North Carolina opportunity on Wednesday.
Outside of Smith and Belichick, North Carolina is targeting Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall. The Green Wave are 9-3 and will take on Army for the American Athletic Conference title on Friday. Sumrall, 41, also went 23-4 overall at Troy.
