REPORT: Bill Belichick Offered UNC Head Coach Job

Hooded sweatshirt sales in the greater Chapel Hill area could soon skyrocket.

According to a report from WRAL in Raleigh, the University of North Carolina has offered NFL legend and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick their vacant head coaching position.

The outlet cites multiple sources and says there are still hurdles to be cleared. However, the decision to begin pursuing Belichick has been made.

“No deal had been completed as of Tuesday evening, and no announcement was imminent,” WRAL reported. “The UNC Board of Trustees must approve the contract, if agreed to, between the six-time Super Bowl-champion coach and the university.”

While Belichick is the most experienced and accomplished coach in NFL history, the future Hall of Famer has no college coaching experience. After his initial meeting with university officials, Belichick was reported to have a “genuine interest” in the job. However, during his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, he seemed to offer a more cautious take: “We’ve had a couple of good conversations,” Belichick said. We’ll see how it goes.”

Belichick spoke openly on Monday about the interview process and what’s expected of a head coach.

“Anytime, as a coach, you join with an organization, whatever level it’s at, you just want a shared vision with that person,” Belichick said.

“What are your goals? What are your expectations? What do you need to achieve those? How do we achieve them?”

So, what are his goals, and how does he plan to achieve them?

“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick explained. “It would be a professional program, training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football.”

The hiring process at UNC could be difficult, given the reported friction between Board of Trustees Chairman John Preyer and Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham. According to WRAL, Preyer publicly criticized Cunningham over the “manner and timing” of firing former Tar Heels Head Coach Mack Brown, among other issues.

Belichick would almost certainly delay any decision until after the anticipated slew of firings following the end of the NFL season. However, should the eight-time Super Bowl champion coach view the UNC job as preferable to any NFL opportunity, it’s hard to imagine UNC administrators not putting their differences aside to get a deal done for Belichick.