When North Carolina coach Bill Belichick takes the sideline as a college football coach for the first time, he will face a familiar opponent: Sonny Dykes. The Tar Heels open their season with a nonconference matchup against TCU at Kenan Stadium, marking the first meeting between the two programs in nearly 30 years.
Dykes had initially looked forward to the game for a different reason: a chance to square off against Mack Brown, the former North Carolina coach and a Texas football legend. Dykes has a long-standing relationship with Brown, coaching against him frequently in the 2000s while serving as an assistant at Texas Tech. But with Brown out and Belichick in, the game now carries a different storyline.
"I think like a lot of people, I was just surprised," Dykes told CBS Sports. "I didn't know that he had interest in coaching college football, but I'm excited about it. I think it's good for the game, I think it's good for college football ... we're looking forward to competing against him. Obviously, his team is going to be very well prepared and, I'm sure, ready to play."
Though their career paths differ drastically, both coaches credit their fathers for their inspiration. Dykes is the son of Spike Dykes, the winningest coach in Texas Tech history before Mike Leach came along. Bill's father, Stephen Belichick, was a longtime assistant coach at Navy. Sonny began his career in high school and junior college, while Bill's coaching journey started in 1975 as a special assistant with the Baltimore Colts. Dykes has spent his career in the college ranks, while Belichick became synonymous with NFL success.
Like many nonconference games, the series between TCU and North Carolina has been on the books for some time -- since 2016 in this case. At the time, Sonny Dykes was still the coach at Cal and only weeks away from getting fired. Around the same time, Belichick was busy winning his fifth Super Bowl and completing another legendary 17-2 season with the Patriots. Things have changed.
The sport is set to change even more in 2025 when the House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement opens the door for revenue sharing. CBS Sports reports North Carolina will allocate more than $20 million on NIL. Dykes pointed to asset allocation as one area where Belichick could create an immediate advantage.
"I think college football and the NFL seem like it gets more and more blended all the time," Dykes said. "I think college football had a big influence on the NFL, and I think now the NFL is having a big influence on college football. The lines between the two are becoming a lot hazier than they were in the past ... I think in a lot of ways, a hire like this probably makes a lot more sense than people think it does."
Much of the focus of the game plan will depend on Belichick's hires at coordinator, according to Dykes. With Belichick's defensive background, the staff will likely evaluate tape from his Patriots days. Of course, there's no Tom Brady to account for now. North Carolina is just starting to truly put its roster together.
If there's a coach prepared for a spectacle, it's Dykes. In 2023, he was on the other sideline when Colorado coach Deion Sanders made his debut at the FBS level. TCU, fresh off its trip to the CFP National Championship Game, came in a little tight. The moment was too big for the Horned Frogs as Colorado won 45-42 on a 46-yard touchdown with 4:25 remaining in one of the most-watched games of the season.
The loss set off a spiral for the 2023 Frogs, who finished 5-7 a year after going 13-2. They recovered with an 8-4 season in 2024 and are set to play in the New Mexico Bowl against Louisiana.
"I know this: I've got to do a better job getting my team ready to play than we did against Deion," Dykes said. "There were a lot of unknowns going into that game, and we were not as prepared as a team as we should have been. We're probably going to devote a little bit more time and attention to making sure that the second go-round, our guys are ready to play."
