Pardon me while I utter a guttural question from my vocal cords.
"Huh?"
Indulge me while I try to make sense of the bombshell that has swept through college football in the last day.
"Really?"
"Him"?
"Why?"
"How?'
I just can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that an all-time great NFL head coach who is just 15 wins away from breaking the record for all time victories would want to spend his golden years on Tobacco Road teaching some future business leaders the intricacies of the 3-4 defense.
Did I mention that this man does not have a lick of college coaching experience, and his worldview of college football consists of a small idyllic setting at a small Division III school in Middletown Connecticut, or a service academy where young men are being trained for far noble pursuits than football?
But alas, sports often defies logic. Bill Belichick is going back to school, away from the glitz and glamour of the NFL, away from the record book, and away from his gilded cages in the media where he uses his expertise, track record of success, and smug attitude to judge others and tell you how he would have done things differently, and better.
Perhaps most surprising is that Belichick has agreed to become the head football coach at a university not particularly known for college football, The University of North Carolina, whose list of all-time great players consists of Lawrence Taylor, Julius Peppers, and maybe Drake Maye.
Why would Bill Belichick even think of coaching at a school where basketball is clearly and undeniably king, and football has long been an afterthought?
While I was investigating the answers to my questions, several theories were floated around. The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported that one NFL team with a coaching vacancy had already ruled out any thought of hiring Belichick and others with potential vacancies didn't believed there would not be enough support from people within their facilities to make the hire. The same piece went so far as to quote a high-ranking NFL team executive who stated on the record that "Belichick burned a lot of bridges in his career."
Was it true? Had Belichick become persona non Grata in the NFL after just one year?
Perhaps the residue of the Spygate and the Deflategate controversies still linger. Perhaps teams are aware of his age and don't believe he'll be in it for the long haul. Most likely, perhaps teams are very cognizant of his ego, and his need for control and that it's just too much to take at the present time.
Circling back to the questions of why Belichick would want to coach in college and at UNC, Howe's article points out that Belichick's father Steve was a UNC assistant in the 1960's, and he has plenty of friends among current and former college football coaches like Chip Kelly and Greg Schiano he can lean on for guidance and support. Maybe the answer lies in a simple truth, he just wants to coach football anywhere.
Now that this is just about a done deal, there are still many potential red flags and questions to consider. Can Belichick's old school style of coaching mesh well with young people whose feelings and values are more respected and tolerated nowadays ? Is Belichick in it for the long haul? Does this hiring represent a pr move, a shot at redemption, or both?
Whatever the answer may be, you cannot deny that this will be the most intriguing plot of the 2025 college football season.
Just don't expect to see Belichick at a fraternity keg party anytime soon.
