Pete Thamel
Pete Thamel
ESPN
ESPN’s senior college football writer. College Game Day Insider.
chris lowe
chris lowe
ESPN Senior Writer
College Football Writer Joined ESPN.com in 2007 Graduated from University of Tennessee
North Carolina State is working on a deal to bring six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick to coach the Tar Heels, but sources told ESPN there are still issues that both sides need to resolve. spoke.
“The ball is in Belichick’s court,” the source added, adding that North Carolina officials are supportive of Belichick becoming coach. Officials say a resolution is expected in the near future.
Among the issues is the potential role of his son, Stephen Belichick, now Washington’s defensive coordinator. North Carolina name, image and portrait resource. Resources for Belichick’s salary, staff and reporting structure.
Talks between North Carolina State and Belichick have been ongoing since at least last week, according to officials. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Belichick met with North Carolina officials for five hours on Sunday.
Belichick was typically reserved about the situation in an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” Monday afternoon. He acknowledged to McAfee that he had had “some good conversations” with North Carolina Premier Lee Roberts and said, “We’ll see how it goes.” He concluded the interview by saying the following about UNC’s work:
Editor’s picks
1 related
The hiring of the 72-year-old Belichick will likely resonate as one of the most surprising and compelling moves in college football history. He worked in the NFL in some capacity from 1975 until divorcing the New England Patriots after the 2023 season.
The Tar Heels’ roster could be in flux as the NCAA transfer portal opened on Monday. Belichick spoke hypothetically about what a college program with McAfee would look like, emphasizing that he would “once” get a college job. He observed that modern college football is a lot like the NFL.
“If I was in a college program, a college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for players who are capable of playing in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It will be a specialized program for transitioning to the NFL, including training, nutrition, planning, coaching and technique.”
He concluded his long portrait of what the program would be like: “It’s going to be an NFL program, but it’s not going to be at the NFL level.”
Although Belichick never coached at the college level, he grew up on college campuses, including three years with his father as an assistant coach at North Carolina State. Sources told ESPN that Belichick’s interest in the job has always been genuine and he has a strong desire to return to the sideline.
He has been calling staff candidates for days, and UNC Collective representatives have been hypothesizing and discussing potential interest from players in anticipation of Belichick taking over the job. Belichick’s exploration includes details about nearly every aspect of college coaching and what it will look like.
Other names that have surfaced in the University of North Carolina search include veteran NFL coach Steve Wilkes, Tulane coach John Sumrall, Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Shuman, Army coach Jeff Monken, and Steelers ‘s offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and Cleveland Browns tight ends coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator Tommy. lease. Smith has indicated his intention to remain with the Steelers, and Tulane has reached an agreement in principle with Sumrall on a contract extension.
Officials say the UNC investigation has been dispersed and it is unclear within the industry who is conducting the investigation. Board of Trustees Chairman John P. Pryor has been Belichick’s chief advocate throughout the process, galvanizing a group within the school to support Belichick’s potential hire.
