With fewer than 100 days remaining until North Carolina opens its 2025 season against TCU, questions continue to swirl around how first-year head coach Bill Belichick will fare in the college ranks.
Off-field distractions — particularly Belichick’s highly publicized relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson — have dominated headlines since his arrival in Chapel Hill. But on the field, the former New England Patriots coach still has everything to prove.
As strange as it may sound, Belichick’s six Super Bowl rings don’t automatically translate to success in today’s rapidly evolving college football landscape.
That uncertainty has led to wildly inconsistent rankings for the 73-year-old coach heading into the 2025 season.
MORE: UNC’s Bill Belichick earns stunning Power Four coaching rank, behind Deion Sanders, Bill O’Brien
CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson placed Belichick near the bottom of their Power Four head coach rankings, slotting him at No. 67 overall.
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“Hiring the best coach of all time sounds good in a vacuum, but there is just no telling how good he's actually going to be,” Johnson wrote. “First of all, North Carolina wasn't exactly great under Mack Brown — which is the reason why Belichick is in the job anyway. The Pats were also middling to terrible in his last three seasons as head coach — which is the reason he's not still in that job. If you're predicting anything beyond ‘I don't know’ when it comes to Belichick as a college football coach this year, it's based on prior success with Tom Brady, which is not the reality of this current situation. He's not that guy, and Heels aren't that team. It's just deeply unclear how good he can actually be."
But not everyone shares that skepticism.
CBS Sports’ John Talty ranked Belichick No. 19 and predicted he would win at least eight games in his first season.
“Will UNC compete for national championships under Belichick? Unlikely, but you never know,” Talty wrote. “Can he elevate UNC and out-coach some teams that don't exactly wow you with their Xs and Os prowess? Absolutely. We've seen successful NFL coaches like Lovie Smith fail in their transition to the college game, but Belichick is the best to ever attempt it and the one whose unrelenting desire to find any and every schematic advantage possible gives him a leg up on many of his new peers. I'm out on an island in my Belichick ranking, but don't be surprised to see him take a big leap in our rankings next year."
TSN’s Bill Bender echoed that optimism, ranking Belichick No. 18 — one spot ahead of where UNC’s former coach, Mack Brown, landed in 2024.
“We're splitting the difference here because we're intrigued to see how Belichick makes the X's and O's adjustments on the field for the Tar Heels,” Bender wrote. “Brown was ranked No. 21 on this list last season. Will the offseason drama spill into the regular season? This feels like the right spot for Belichick — one spot ahead of the elder statesman of FBS coaches.”
That final comparison might not sit well with Brown, whose departure from UNC has been far from smooth. While praising Belichick’s credentials, the former Tar Heels coach recently took a pointed swipe at the university — particularly regarding its support and academic standards under the new regime.
“As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick now, he's arguably the best coach ever,” Brown said. “They’ve committed money to it, they’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards some.
“So there’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be successful. And anymore, they’ve changed the roster … So you’ve got a chance to succeed at the highest level, and I expect him to do that and I’m proud for him.”