North Carolina football has found its coach to replace Mack Brown, UNC announced Wednesday night.
UNC is finalizing a five-year deal to make six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick the next head coach of the Tar Heels. Belichick would fill the opening created after Brown was fired in the final week of the regular season. Inside Carolina was the first outlet to report a deal was in place.
UNC’s Board of Trustees must meet and approve the move before it becomes official.
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Belichick, 72, has 333 wins as an NFL head coach, 15 pro victories shy of breaking Don Shula’s all-time record. But after spending nearly a half century in pro football, Belichick is set to take on his first opportunity to coach at the college level. 
During an appearance on the “Carolina Insider” podcast on Dec. 2, an in-house production, UNC athletics director Bubba Cunningham said he wanted to have the position filled “within a week.”
Citing “fit” as the most important factor in the coaching search, Cunningham was intent on finding a leader who could help UNC become a consistent ACC and national contender. A chaotic search that centered around the strain between Cunningham and members of UNC’s Board of Trustees, according to multiple reports, ultimately ended with the Tar Heels choosing Belichick. The candidate pool reportedly included the likes of Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, Georgia’s Glenn Schumann, Army’s Jeff Monken and former NFL coach Steve Wilks.
The credentials are hard to match. Belichick has arguably the greatest resume of any football coach in the history of the sport. He started his journey with the Baltimore Colts before helping the New York Giants win two Super Bowl titles as a defensive coordinator. Former UNC great Lawrence Taylor was the key player for Belichick’s vaunted defenses in New York. 
Belichick coached in the NFL for 49 consecutive years, doing the bulk of his damage with quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Across 24 seasons with the Pats, Belichick led the franchise to six Super Bowl championships in nine appearances. New England had a winning record in 19 seasons, earning 17 division titles. Simply put, despite some struggles in the wake of Brady’s departure from New England, Belichick is the standard when it comes to NFL coaches. We’ll see if that translates to the college level.
A three-time NFL Coach of the Year, Belichick was named the Pro Football Writers Association’s Executive of the Year in 2021 for his roster construction. 
With eight Super Bowl championships, including six as a head coach, it’s clear Belichick knows how to build and maintain a winning culture. Overall, Belichick has a 333-178 record, which means he’s won 65.2% of his games. Cunningham said he wants to see UNC go from “good to great.” Belichick has been great throughout his career in the NFL, but it’s a different world in college football.
Raised in Annapolis, Belichick’s father was a longtime assistant coach at Navy. Steve Belichick spent a bulk of his career with the Midshipmen, but he was also UNC’s running backs coach from 1953-55. Bill has never coached at the college level, but he’s longtime friends with former Alabama coach Nick Saban and has reportedly spent time around Washington’s program this season. Bill’s son, Steve, is the Huskies’ defensive coordinator. In his appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” this week, Belichick discussed the similarities of college football and the NFL, breaking down what his plan of attack would be as a college coach.
Disciplined and adaptable, Belichick is regarded as a defensive mastermind capable of simplifying the game for his players to maximize their strengths and highlight the weaknesses of opponents. A descendant of the Bill Parcells’ coaching tree, Belichick has always seemed to appreciate and acknowledge the history of football. He’s coached countless NFL legends, including Brady and Taylor. He’s also built life-long relationships with those in the football world, which could help him connect with big-time recruits.
The verdict is to be determined, but if you’re UNC, why not swing for the fences? Good or bad, Belichick’s hiring is sure to bring more eyes toward the Tar Heels in 2025. A program that normally has the attention of fans until basketball season tips off will now command consistent national attention at the college and NFL levels because of Belichick.
We know he can coach and his resume could boost recruiting for players who want to be led by a guy who knows what it takes to get to and succeed in the NFL. If he can put the right people in place to do everything required to run a college program nowadays, there’s no reason to believe Belichick can’t carry his winning ways to Chapel Hill. It could be a dream or a nightmare for the Tar Heels. But it won’t be boring.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them torbaxley@fayobserver.com.

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