‘The big name, Bill Belichick, stands out’: UNC reacts to Tar Heels’ new football coach
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UNC football hires Bill Belichick to be its next head coach
Bill Belichick led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl victories during the 2000s and 2010s. He has never been a college football head coach. UNC picked him to lead the the Tar Heels following the firing of Mack Brown. Here is ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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Word of Bill Belichick’s hiring as North Carolina’s football coach spread around UNC’s campus Thursday night, students had a big distraction from their final exam study sessions.
The Tar Heels will be coached by a man who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl championships in his 24 years on the job. He’s an NFL legend coaching college football for the first time.
UNC football, after going 6-6 this season, is on the national radar.
“The big name, Bill Belichick, I think kind of stands out to a lot of ears and brings attention to the program,” senior Anna Fitzpatrick of Mooresville said. “So I guess that’s a good thing.”
Jack McDermott, a UNC senior, called the move a “perfect hire” despite Belichick’s age and lack of college coaching experience.
“I was worried anybody young, if they had a good season, they’d get poached by the SEC immediately,” McDermott said. “So I feel like he’s a perfect fit, because he’s old, he’s not gonna go anywhere after us, and he can get recruits. So it’s a win-win all the way around.”
McDermott added the spotlight UNC will be under will be a good thing.
“I think a lot of people are gonna hear about us and talk about us on TV,” he said, “which helps recruits in general, and start to get some energy behind the program.”
Junior Allison Keith came to UNC from West Hartford, Connecticut, in Patriots country. Though a Buffalo Bills fan, she respects Belichick. She isn’t worried that, after UNC ousted 73-year-old Mack Brown as head coach, Belichick will be 73 when he coaches his first game for the Tar Heels next year.
“I think I know he’s like, the same age as Mack, and I get that that’s not great,” Keith said. “But I think he has a level of like grit and experience that I don’t think Mack had at a higher level of football. I’m really excited to see what happens.”
After she only attended two games this season, Keith said if some ex-Patriots stars, like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman show up at Kenan Stadium next season, all the better.
“I really hope that Gronk comes to games,” Keith said. “I also hope that Julian Edelman comes to games. I don’t know if they will, but I think it’ll be good for the program.”
Elsewhere, social media reaction offered a variety of opinions, many humorous. Here’s a sampling:
This story was originally published December 11, 2024 at 9:25 PM with the headline "‘The big name, Bill Belichick, stands out’: UNC reacts to Tar Heels’ new football coach."
