College Sports
“Does a terse slogan like ‘Do Your Job’ close a deal in a high schooler’s living room?”
It’s official. Bill Belichick is the head coach of the University of North Carolina football team.
Yes, that Bill Belichick.
He spoke glowingly about the program and expressed immense gratitude at his introductory press conference Thursday. Now that it’s a done deal, here’s a look at what experts have to say about his surprising move to the college ranks.
Jason Gay, The Wall Street Journal
Jason Gay referred to Belichick coaching North Carolina as “great theater.” He believes he’ll “have to be careful,” noting that college coaches are expected to hide, or at least dampen, their ruthlessness.
The game has “long been a cold, cruel business,” yet the public still thinks of college athletes as kids, Gay wrote. Here’s a passage from his recent article, in which he noted that he still doesn’t quite believe it.
“How a coach not known for soothing small talk or public finesse can sand down the edges for a mayoral role like college football coach. Does Belichick have the patience for local media, boosters, sponsors and other front-facing aspects of his new role at a public university? Can he recruit (or does he even need to?) Does a terse slogan like “Do Your Job” close a deal in a high schooler’s living room? Or will that job be outsourced as somebody else’s job?”
Ryan McGee, ESPN
With Belichick joining the Tar Heels, Ryan McGee believes “something’s gotta give” in the unexpected meeting of the GOAT and the Ram.
“The Chapel Hill hiring that no one saw coming is the football equivalent to one of those old black-and-white films of two locomotives crashing head on. Or some reality stretching experiment set up by scientists, the immovable object and irresistible force pitted against one another to peek into the total unknown. When Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves asks Robert Oppenheimer, ‘Are we saying there’s a chance that when we push that button, we destroy the world?’”
McGee noted the “very opposite football pasts” between the two parties and wonders which will prevail. He said that while North Carolina is a global brand in large part because of Michael Jordan, the football program hasn’t exactly been ultra successful.
Jeff Howe, The Athletic
Jeff Howe said that while the move “drew plenty of double takes,” a source told him it came down to one simple fact.
“He’s a football coach. He’s going to coach somewhere.”
A high-ranking team executive told Howe that Belichick “burned a lot of bridges over his career,” yet he still wanted to coach. He pointed out that Belichick will have unilateral control over the program, which he may not have gotten in the NFL.
“Belichick, the most prepared figure in the NFL for so long, had to recognize a chilling reality: He’d once again be a long shot to get a job in the league’s upcoming hiring cycle.”
Dan Wolken, USA Today
Dan Wolken highlighted how Belichick “struck a different tone” at his press conference than his typical stoic “We’re on to Cincinnati” vibe.
“He sounded like something we don’t usually see in college athletics during these days when coaches and fans are riding the sugar high of a new marriage. Belichick, quite simply, came off like an adult.”
Wolken called Belichick expressing his desire to help students and players “downright refreshing,” adding that Belichick “wasn’t waving the pom-poms or talking like a used car salesman.” He pointed out that Belichick didn’t make any promises about success beyond the effort he’s going to put into the job.
The Tar Heels, Wolken wrote, are now being run by a realist, rather than a televangelist.
Seth Wickersham, ESPN
Seth Wickersham noted that Belichick and a handful of his former assistants meet weekly to discuss NFL games, trends, and more. They concluded that the Chicago Bears would be the most attractive job, but that Bears brass would be unlikely to consider Belichick.
The Jets were a nonstarter, and the Giants, Cowboys, and Jaguars all had questions marks.
“Belichick’s feelings toward the NFL have shifted he has told confidants. Look at the past year. Robert Kraft, whose life and legacy was forever altered by Belichick, fired him in January. Only one out of seven teams with openings showed interested in hiring him. The Falcons interviewed him twice, but when it came time for the team’s brass to rank choices, Belichick failed to land in anyone’s top three candidates.”
“A few months ago, Belichick started to bring up college programs on the Zooms. He was spending a lot of time at Washington, where his son Stephen is in his first year as the Huskies’ defensive coordinator. His former offensive coordinator in New England, Bill O’Brien, and longtime assistant, Berj Najarian, are at Boston College. Another former assistant, Joe Judge, served as a senior analyst at Ole Miss.”
Wickersham said that initially, the image of him coaching in college “made no sense.” But a confidant told Wickersham that this is a “big f— you” to the NFL, because he’s disgusted with what the league has become.
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