If you can get past all of the off-the-field drama, Bill Belichick still has a North Carolina football team to coach this fall.
Even though his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson has smeared his image in the media, the fact that Belichick will be roaming the sidelines in college football stadiums has been vastly overlooked.
This is the reality, however, for arguably the greatest coach in NFL history.
But many have wondered how Belichick will bring his expertise to the college level — especially having never coached it before — and make it work, considering not only his age (73) but also the vast differences between the two levels of the sport.
Fox Sports' Joel Klatt believes that, despite the excitement Belichick has brought to Chapel Hill, there won’t be a ton of pressure on him to win.
"I don’t think the pressure index is on Belichick,” Klatt wrote. “Let’s be honest, Belichick isn’t going to feel a lot of pressure at UNC. If this doesn’t go his way, he’s not going to lose a lot of sleep over this.
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“Rather, the pressure is on the fan base. You can tell that the fan base is invested in this in a way that’s similar to Colorado and Deion Sanders. They hired possibly the best coach in NFL history, so maybe they’re just happy he’s in Chapel Hill."
Klatt goes on to say that the real pressure lies with the New York Giants, a team Belichick once coached for. Why? Because that’s where the $1 million buyout in Belichick’s UNC contract could come into play.
Klatt believes Belichick will make it through at least his first season at North Carolina, but the end of the college regular season could conveniently align with a potential job opening in New York.
"So, I think the pressure point date here is Dec. 1, when the Giants take on the New England Patriots right before their bye week,” Klatt continued. “If New York is 2-11 entering that game and loses, do you think Brian Daboll is getting fired right after? I think he could. That’s also right when the college football regular season ends. The Giants wouldn’t be able to name their next head coach right after, but Belichick could have an inkling on whether he could become their next head coach around that date."
Daboll enters Year 4 with the Giants this season. Despite winning AP Coach of the Year back in 2022, when he led the team to a 9-7 campaign, he’s gone 9-25 since. Meanwhile, Belichick is still most likely chasing Don Shula’s all-time coaching wins record of 347. He currently sits at 333, the second-most in NFL history.
If Belichick can continue to put all the off-field drama away and show a modicum of success with the Tar Heels this fall, there's a very good chance that some team — Giants or not — will at least give Belichick a call.
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