Bill Belichick has agreed to become the next head coach at North Carolina as the school officially announced the news on Wednesday night. It's a stunning hire that brings the legendary NFL head coach to the college ranks for the first time in any capacity. Belichick, 72, will be the oldest head coach in the FBS.
North Carolina, which fired Mack Brown in late November, has produced plenty of NFL players past and present, and the most notable former Tar Heel currently playing is Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. The No. 3 pick in the 2024 draft called Chapel Hill a "great place" and Belichick heading there "cool" and "pretty interesting for me."
"Chapel Hill is a great spot. It's a cool thing for a Hall of Fame coach to go back and coach some college kids," Maye said.
Drake Maye arrives … shares thoughts on the possibility of Bill Belichick becoming coach at his alma mater, University of North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/3w9Y0X5GxK
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 11, 2024
Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown, a UNC alum, mentioned college football is a "different ball game" with NIL and other factors and joked about how Belichick may handle that aspect.
"I hope he can recruit!" Brown joked.
Former UNC receiver Dyami Brown has some reservations about Bill Belichick coaching the Tar Heels. pic.twitter.com/NWgUsiBKql
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 11, 2024
Here's how Hall-of-Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, a North Carolina product, reacted:
I just texted Lawrence Taylor, the greatest player in North Carolina history, to get his thoughts on Bill Belichick taking the job at his alma mater.
— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) December 11, 2024
"UNC stock has just gone up!!!" Taylor texted.
"You like it?" I asked.
"Absolutely," he said.
"Did you talk to him about it?" I…
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy had plenty to say about Belichick's move.
"Wow, that's great. It's a beautiful place," he said eliciting some laughs. "No, I'm serious, I think it's cool. I really do. Coaching is coaching. I'll say one thing: He'll be someone to be reckoned with. I have a lot of respect for Bill and the job that he's always done. He's always very difficult to compete against, but that's a whole new realm. I've been [in the NFL] since 1992 and I can't imagine what it's like now, especially with all the changes. But congratulations to him. I'm happy for him."
McCarthy, who began his coaching career in the college ranks, added he didn't consider a return to that level between his stints with the Packers and Cowboys, but that coaching college was his original goal when he got into the profession.
Here's how CBS Sports analyst Logan Ryan -- drafted by New England in 2013 and a two-time Super Bowl winner in four seasons under Belichick -- reacted:
"If you're a player that wants to go to the NFL, why would you not transfer?"@RealLoganRyan reacts to his former coach, Bill Belichick, going to North Carolina. pic.twitter.com/Vd4gc34MqU
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) December 11, 2024