UNC and Belichick, will it work?

In Chapel Hill the past week, talk has been mostly about former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and the question of whether his hiring by UNC good for the university or just one more step in the commercialism of college athletics.

For instance, Boston Globe sportswriter Chad Finn wrote the following in that paper’s December 18 edition:

“Dear University of North Carolina football media, fans, and assorted Tar Heel personnel who must now navigate having Bill Belichick in their lives: First, a hearty thank you from your colleagues in New England for sending Drake Maye our way and--no offense intended--preparing him to play with a significant talent disadvantage in his huddle.”

We are happy Finn appreciates Drake Maye, but what about Belichick as UNC coach?

Finn writes, “This might be the most important thing about covering and comprehending Bill Belichick: It’s OK to be skeptical about how he will fare, at 72 years old, in his foray into the wild west of college football. You should be. But do not underestimate him and absolutely do not prematurely dismiss his chances--as some prominent, territorial college football writers have done already--at finding success in Chapel Hill.”

Still Finn insists, “The news that Belichick is now Chapel Bill . . .well, sure, that stunned all of us up here, too. But you sure are lucky to have him.”

Finn says Belichick “is as brilliant and prepared and as motivated as ever, and that is as brilliant and prepared and motivated as any coach has ever been.

“Those of us in New England who remember to appreciate all he did here know this to be true: He is about to have the last laugh over the doubters.

“The symmetry of Belichick ending his one-year hiatus from coaching to take a job at Maye’s alma mater is as amusing as it is stunning here in New England. But it also allows for a chance to offer some reciprocal advice on how to cover and deal with the legendary coach
and accomplished grump.

“This might be the most important thing about covering and comprehending Bill Belichick: It’s OK to be skeptical about how he will fare, at 72 years old, in his foray into the wild west of college football. You should be. But do not underestimate him, and absolutely do not prematurely dismiss his chances--as some prominent, territorial college football writers have done already--at finding success in  Chapel Hill.

“NIL (name, image, likeness) and the transfer portal have made college football more professional than professional football in some ways. Players don’t have to adhere to contracts in the college game, and they essentially can hop from program to program at will in pursuit of more money and/or more opportunity.”

Finn asserts that Belichick is as brilliant and prepared and as motivated as ever, and “that is as brilliant and prepared and motivated as any coach has ever been.”

In closing, Finn writes, “Those of us in New England who remember to appreciate all he did here know this to be true: He is about to have the last laugh over the doubters. Right, and the last snort, too.”

Even the elite magazine “The New Yorker” is covering UNC football.

Louisa Thomas, writing in the December 15 edition of that magazine in an article titled “The Resurrection of Bill Belichick” began, “After
failing to land another job in the NFL, the former New England Patriots coach is headed to the University of North Carolina.

Will it work?”

Thomas writes that Belichick has already made a difference. “UNC is a basketball school. Its football program hasn’t won the NCAA’s Atlantic Coast Conference since 1980. Around the time of Mack Brown’s firing, at the end of November, UNC. only had ten committed football recruits coming in for 2025.”

A number of starters had declared their openness to transferring. But Belichick’s arrival now brings a level of excitement and attention that should immediately impact the program. Even with the high price that Belichick is reportedly demanding (a five-year,  fifty-million-dollar contract; a twenty-million-dollar ‘name, image, and likeness’ package for football; and no doubt competitive salaries
for a large staff), the money will come in.”

Boosters, parents and prospects will compete for the chance to shake the coach’s hand. …“there are plenty of parents who will want their sons coached by the legend, and plenty of young players who will be dazzled by the gaudy hints of a future pro career, by all those Super Bowl rings. And, when UNC opens its 2025 season, on August 30th, against Texas Christian University, the stadium will be full.  Viewership will probably soar. UNC football will feel relevant in a way that it hasn’t before.”