After failing to find a new NFL home following his departure from the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick entered the college ranks, taking over the North Carolina Football program. Belichick’s arrival at UNC created a buzz as onlookers wondered if the 73-year-old coach could make the transition from pro ball to college.
Belichick’s tenure at North Carolina got off to a rocky start when the TCU Horned Frogs spoiled his debut with a 48-14 rout. Fans hoping the six-time Super Bowl winner would turn things around were disappointed. The Tar Heels hit a four-game skid in the middle of the season, falling to 2-5.
On Saturday, Belichick’s debut campaign with North Carolina came to an unceremonious end. The NC State Wolfpack blew out UNC 42-19. The loss dropped Belichick to a disappointing 4-8 record in his first season with the Tar Heels, per PFT.
Bill Belichick has losing record in last 6 seasons as head coach
Four weeks ago, UNC offered fans a glimmer of hope. After losing four-straight games, North Carolina had strung together back-to-back victories and appeared on the verge of bouncing back from a brutal start. But, as Belichick noted in his victory speech following the win over Stanford, “the heart of our schedule” was coming up. UNC had some momentum entering a three-game stretch in North Carolina to close the season.
The Tar Heels then proceeded to lose to Wake Forest, Duke and NC State. It was a disheartening end to the coach’s flawed first college campaign. Belichick is now 8-21 in his last two seasons as a head coach, having ended his run in New England with a 4-13 record in 2023. In fact, he has a losing record (45-50) over his last six seasons as a head coach
Despite a significant lack of on-field success in his debut with North Carolina, rumors of NFL teams’ interest in poaching Belichick persist. There’s been buzz around the Giants head coaching job in particular. New York fired Brian Daboll earlier this month.
For his part, Belichick has shut down rumors that he covets a return to the pros. He’s consistently maintained his commitment to North Carolina. But Belichick has displayed some flexibility with his commitment to head coaching gigs in the past. It will certainly be interesting to see his response if there’s genuine interest from an NFL franchise during the upcoming hiring cycle.
