The connection between the greatest coach in NFL history and the greatest basketball player who ever lived just got a whole lot stronger.
Bill Belichick, the architect of six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots and Tom Brady’s former mentor, is venturing into the world of college football for the first time to become the next head coach at the University of North Carolina — where a young Michael Jordan first made his name.
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The 72-year-old has reportedly agreed to terms on a five-year deal that will see him make $10 million per year.
Part of Belichick’s motivation for accepting the job is “honoring his father’s legacy,” who was an assistant coach at UNC when the eight-time Super Bowl champ was a tot.
Belichick will also have a ton of control — he allegedly handed the university a 400 page ‘organizational bible’ that includes outlines on payment plans, staffing decisions, salary pools by position, etc — and views it as a new challenge.
However, revitalising the program will be no easy feat, especially when championship contention is the goal and the absolute bare minimum the ‘The Hoodie’ expects of himself.
North Carolina is generally a winning program but not at the upper echelons of college football.
UNC has not won an ACC championship in football since 1980 and has lost 11 of its last 14 bowl games. It is also a program that has produced only seven 10-win seasons, and only one since 1997.
In order to turn things around and assert themselves into the mix of contenders for the expanded College Football Playoff, UNC has agreed to massively increase its name, image and likeness (NIL) commitments from $4 million to $20 million to attract players.
The pledge comes after former head coach Mack Brown, fired at the end of November, expressed frustration over a lack of resources as the program couldn’t afford to pay top recruits.
But now, Belichick will be backed by a hugely increased NIL budget to build the football program in Chapel Hill into national winners, replicating what legendary UNC alum MJ did all the way back in 1982.
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The UNC brand is one that is genuinely global thanks to the impact of Michael Jordan.
Before he was Air Jordan, Mike, The GOAT or a six-time NBA champion, Jordan was a freshman guard playing for Dean Smith at North Carolina.
Jordan spent two more years playing for UNC and hit the game-winning shot against Patrick Ewing’s Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA Tournament championship game.
It was a shot heard around the world, changing MJ’s career and altering the course of basketball, as well as the perception of UNC on a national scale.
No. 23 went on to hoover up six NBA titles, as well as six Finals MVPs, as part of the dynastic Chicago Bulls of the 1990s.
His name, image, and likeness also fuelled a global footwear and apparel brand which in turn made him the first NBA billionaire.
The Tar Heels basketball squad wen on to win four more NCAA championships (1993, 2005, 2009, and 2017) after Jordan, but their football program has largely failed to reach those same dizzying heights.
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The history, finances, and prestige are certainly on North Carolina’s side, but so far nobody has been able to awaken the ‘sleeping giant’ that is UNC.
Now, one of the greatest minds in pro football will be tasked with shaking that tag for a program primed to win.
With the scowling NFL legend now in the hotseat, one thing’s for sure: UNC is going to be at the center of college football once again.
He may not have the same charisma as Deion Sanders, but ‘Prime Time’ has proven that transforming a lowly program into one of the country’s most talked-about teams is a process that might only take two seasons.
Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes are arguably the most exciting team in college football, spearheaded by son, Sheduer, projected to be the top quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, and two-way star, Travis Hunter, the Heisman favorite.
Prime’s ineffable personality and NFL stardust has proven to be a irresistible magnet for top college prospects.
Although Belichick lacks the same charm, his accolades at the highest possible level, combined with an eye-popping NIL budget, means UNC are perfectly primed to create a dynasty both he, and MJ, would be proud of.
