Bill Belichick’s return to coaching will not occur on an NFL sideline.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach has been officially named the next head football coach at the University of North Carolina, subject to approval by the board of trustees and board of governors, the school announced Wednesday night.
“I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Belichick said in a statement issued by the program via social media. “I grew up around college football with my father and cherish those memories. I have always wanted to coach in college, and now I am excited to help build the football program at Chapel Hill.
With 333 wins, including playoff games, Belichick is 14 wins behind Don Shula for the most wins by an NFL head coach.
The former head coach of the New England Patriots was not brought back for the 2024 season after 23 years with the team. He also did not get any other coaching jobs during the offseason after being a finalist for the Atlanta Falcons job.
The Athletic said that Belichick’s deal with the Tar Heels was worth $50 million over five years. But the school said in a formal statement that the deal was for five years. People will be able to get the full contract and terms through public records requests as part of USA TODAY Sports’ database of college football coaches’ salaries.
Last week, it was first reported that both UNC and Belichick were interested in each other. Belichick, in his usual brief way, said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday that he had “a couple of good conversations” with Chancellor Lee H. Roberts but did not want to say too much about what they were about.
Belichick did say more about his plans for a college football program. He said it would be like a professional team in terms of nutrition, strength training, and player development.
“I think there are a lot of (college) football programs being structured similar to pro programs,” he said.
After leaving the Patriots, Belichick started to talk to the media about the NFL this season. He does talks with McAfee once a week and is also a guest on every “ManningCast” for “Monday Night Football.” He co-hosts an ESPN preview show with Peyton Manning and is on “Inside the NFL” every week.
Betchayev has never been a college coach. He began as a special assistant coach for the Baltimore Colts in 1974. He then worked for the Denver Broncos before joining the New York Giants in 1980.
As defensive coordinator for the Giants under Bill Parcells, he won his first of eight Super Bowls. His first job as head coach was with the Cleveland Browns before he turned 40 in 1991.
Steve Belichick, Bill Belichick’s father, was a coach at the US Naval Academy for a long time when Bill was young. But before that, Steve Belichick was a coach at UNC, and the McAfee Show showed a picture of Bill Belichick as a child sitting in the stands at Kenan Stadium.
Steve Belichick, Belichick’s son, is the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington right now. He wants to work for his dad again, since he and his brother Brian both worked for Belichick with the Patriots.
Several news stories last week said that Steve Belichick would likely be named coach-in-waiting, but the school did not say anything about it.
Betchayev is the oldest college football coach at 72 years old. Coach Mack Brown, who Belichick is replacing at UNC, was the oldest coach before him. Brown coached the Tar Heels for two terms and won the national title at Texas in 2006. The school fired Brown on November 26.
Three of Brady, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski, who used to play for Belichick in New England, spoke out against the idea that he should coach in college over the weekend. But thanks to name, image, and likeness funding and the transfer portal, college sports teams are running more like NFL teams.
Someone who knows about the talks between the school and Belichick said to USA TODAY’s Matt Hayes that the school agreed to raise its NIL funding from $4 million to $20 million. The person spoke without giving their name because the contract was not official yet.
It was after the 2018 season that Belichick won his sixth Super Bowl. The Patriots made the playoffs once after Tom Brady left in 2020. The Patriots fired Bill Belichick after a 4-13 season in 2023 and hired Jerod Mayo instead. This year, New England is 3-10.
“He is a great coach,” Mayo said Monday on Boston radio station WEEI. “And I think he is a great teacher whether you are a young man or have been in the league for 10 years. I hope the best for him. It really does not matter what level; I think he will do well.