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If legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick does somehow wind up at North Carolina, he could be walking into a ticking time bomb situation. Belichick, who has never worked at the college football level in his nearly five-decade long coaching career, shocked the football world when he interviewed for the Tar Heels’ vacant head coaching job.
Most believed the interview was simply a courtesy to an agent or a member of the UNC administration. But as time passed, it became increasingly clear that Belichick was a legitimate candidate for the position. Now, it sounds as if he’s the heavy favorite to land the job. But it may not be all sunshine and roses in Chapel Hill.
Brendan Marks and Ralph Russo of The Athletic report that Belichick would be walking into a hornet’s nest of sorts, which is why the coaching search has been a roller coaster up until this point.
Part of the explanation for why UNC’s coaching search has played out this publicly traces back to May, when North Carolina’s Board of Trustees — the 13-person group that serves as the school’s top governing body — approved an audit of the university’s athletic department. At the time, Board of Trustees chair John Preyer publicly scolded athletic director Bubba Cunningham over “the level of bad data that has been provided” to the committee regarding UNC athletics’ financials.
Then-interim chancellor Roberts (who has since had the interim tag removed) responded by backing Cunningham in the face of that criticism, saying, “Our athletic director is one of the most senior, well-respected, admired athletic directors in the country.”
Marks and Russo revealed an ongoing power struggle between the North Carolina Board of Trustees and athletic director Bubba Cunningham. The board feels Cunningham has not kept the board in tune with the athletic department’s spending. But the school’s chancellor, Lee Roberts, threw his support behind Cunningham.
Cunningham, meanwhile, was frustrated by Brown, who long maintained he would remain UNC’s coach until the program was in a suitable place to “pass off” to someone else, only to stay on after quarterback Drake Maye left for the NFL last winter. This year’s Week 1 starting quarterback, Max Johnson, was sidelined by a broken leg in the season-opening win at Minnesota.
After an embarrassing 70-50 mid-September loss to James Madison, Brown reportedly told players he would “walk away and step down if he was the problem,” then expressed regret for the comments two days later while confirming he would stay with the team. The Tar Heels went 6-6, a clear step backward from 2023’s 8-4 squad.
Then there’s the matter of former head coach Mack Brown. Brown, a university legend, returned for his second stint in Chapel Hill in 2019. After several up and down seasons, the 73-year-old and his team took a clear step back this season. Cunningham seemed to believe Brown would walk away from his head coaching position. But that didn’t happen.
Despite the BOT backing Brown, Roberts and Cunningham fired him prior to UNC’s rivalry game against NC State to end the season. The did so remotely while attending the Tar Heels’ basketball games at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii.
Belichick was initially among a group of 10-12 candidates for the position. But Marks and Russo report that UNC received less interest than expected. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall initially headed the list. But both look set to remain in their current positions.
That leaves Belichick who, like Brown, is well into his 70s. The Tar Heels still haven’t finished their search. At least, they haven’t announced a new head coach. But the options are narrowing, and if all sides can get on the same page, it sounds as if Belichick is going to be the choice. But if he does take the job, it sounds like he’ll have quite the maze to navigate to get everybody pushing in the same direction.