Admin December 12, 2024
Bill Belichick agrees to become next head football coach for North Carolina Tar Heels
USA TODAY Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon and Lorenzo Reyes discuss the shocking move by Bill Belichick to become the next head coach at UNC.
SportsPulse
With Bill Belichick officially named North Carolina football’s next coach, the rebuild in Chapel Hill has started.
The Tar Heels hiring Belichick is a seismic moment in college football, as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history will look to rebuild UNC’s program “his way” or in a “professional way.” UNC has not won the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1980 and hasn’t recorded double-digit wins since 2015.
It’s a rebuild that, of course, will include potential home visits, offering NIL packages and utilizing the transfer portal — compared to the free agent market that he utilized as the Patriots general manager during his time in the NFL.
On top of the Tar Heels‘ contractual commitment to Belichick (five years/$50 million), North Carolina is expected to invest a significant amount of money into the football program from Belichick’s staff and the program’s NIL budget. As reported by USA Today Sports’ Matt Hayes, the Tar Heels’ NIL budget is expected to go up from $4 million to $20 million.
Belichick and UNC’s “honeymoon period” won’t last long as with the transfer portal already open, the six-time Super Bowl coach will have to hit the ground running and perhaps play some catch-up. This, of course, will include re-selling the program to those of the Tar Heels that have already entered the transfer portal.
With Belichick’s hiring at North Carolina, the Tar Heels coach becomes the country’s oldest active college football coach at 72.
So, who might Belichick and Co. bring in as their first recruiting class? Here’s the latest updates surrounding UNC football’s involvement in the transfer portal as Belichick takes over in Chapel Hill:
UNC football transfer portal updates
This section was last updated on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 10 a.m. ET
Austin Blaske withdraws from transfer portal
As UNC and Belichick were finalizing the deal Wednesday, Tar Heels’ offensive lineman Austin Blaske withdrew his name from the transfer portal. Blaske, who started at center all but one game this season for the Tar Heels, entered his name into the portal two days ago, according to Inside Carolina.
UNC football incoming transfers
This section will be updated as UNC and Belichick receive commitments from players in the transfer portal