Bill Belichick has already made a major splash at North Carolina, even before coaching his first game.
The former New England Patriots head coach has helped the Tar Heels sell out Kenan Stadium for the season and is expected to be a major TV ratings draw this fall. But despite his early impact, it turns out Belichick still isn’t bigger than UNC men’s basketball.
In the upcoming revenue-sharing model set to take effect following the $3 billion House settlement, schools will be allowed to allocate $20.5 million to their athletic programs. Many schools are expected to follow a common formula: 75% to football, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball, and 5% to all other sports.
UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is taking a different approach, according to WRAL’s Brian Murphy.
“That’s one way to do it, and a lot of schools are doing it that way,” Cunningham told the Carolina Insider podcast. “When I looked at how we generate commercial activity, that’s not the way ours is broken down. Ours is broken down 65% to football, 35% to men’s basketball and … then baseball is next. Women’s basketball is fourth. And so I thought the fairest thing to do was give the revenue sharing to those sports that had generated it.”
Under this plan, UNC football will get $13 million of the $20.5 million share, while men’s basketball will receive $7 million — a much higher percentage than most programs.
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There’s a good chance UNC won’t be the only basketball powerhouse to take this approach. Duke could easily follow suit, and even SEC schools like Kentucky might see the value in prioritizing hoops alongside football.
Still, this could also be read as a sign that Cunningham isn’t fully committed to Belichick’s long-term vision, especially considering the 73-year-old wasn’t his hire to replace Mack Brown. Cunningham is set to step down in 2026, with Steve Newmark taking over as athletic director. By then, Belichick will have completed his first season in Chapel Hill, and the results will either solidify his place in college football or send him back to the NFL.