CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The University of North Carolina has hired former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick as its next football head coach. The university confirmed the hiring with a post on X early Wednesday night.
A UNC board of trustees meeting on Thursday morning is expected to approve a five-year deal, according to a news release from the university.
"We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking. Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win — today and in the future. At Carolina, we believe in providing championship opportunities and the best experience possible for our student-athletes, and Coach Belichick shares that commitment. We are excited to welcome him to Chapel Hill," UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham said in the release.
Belichick's ties to UNC began when his father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach from 1953-55.
"I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill," Bill Belichick said in the release.
Belichick's interview with the school was first reported by Inside Carolina and came a week after UNC fired College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown, who won a school-best 113 games in two tenures with the Tar Heels.
Speaking on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show," Belichick said Monday he had spent the 11 months since his departure from the Patriots taking a "longer look" at college football throughout the season as opposed to during the spring lead-up to the NFL draft as a pro coach.
"So it's been, it's been a good year for me. I've learned a lot," Belichick said. "So I've had the opportunity to talk to Chancellor [Lee] Roberts, and we've had a couple of good conversations."
He's been spending time around his son, Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, for some time this past season.
Bill Belichick, 72, has never worked at the college level.
Belichick's father, Steve Belichick, eventually became a coach at the U.S. Naval Academy, where Bill Belichick learned the game from his father.
After many years as an assistant coach for the Baltimore Colts, Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos in the 1970s, Belichick joined the New York Giants in 1979 and was an assistant for 12 years, including a tenure as defensive coordinator for coach Bill Parcells from 1985-90. The Giants won two Super Bowls with Belichick as defensive coordinator.
Belichick was head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 1991-95, leading the Browns to a 36-44 record with one playoff win. Belichick then returned to Parcells' staff and helped the New England Patriots get to the Super Bowl in the 1996 season before losing to the Green Bay Packers. Belichick then followed Parcells to the New York Jets as defensive coordinator.
When Parcells stepped down after the 1999 season, Belichick was in line to replace him as head coach of the Jets. But Belichick changed his mind and became head coach of the New England Patriots in 2000.
Belichick coached 24 seasons with the Patriots, compiling a 266-121 record with nine Super Bowl appearances and six championships with quarterback Tom Brady. His 302 total victories are third on the all-time NFL coaching list.
Belichick replaces Brown, who coached the Tar Heels from 1989-97 in his first tenure before leaving for Texas. He won a national championship with the Longhorns in 2005 before stepping down in 2013. Brown returned to the Tar Heels in 2019 and led them to six bowl games.