Bill Belichick Has Hired Another Familiar Name as New Offensive Coordinator

Bobby Petrino went 0-7 as interim head coach at Arkansas last season.
Bobby Petrino went 0-7 as interim head coach at Arkansas last season. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick has a new offensive coordinator and it is again a familiar name. After firing former NFL head coach Freddie Kitchens following one unsuccessful season running the offense at North Carolina, the Tar Heels are close to naming Bobby Petrino the new offensive coordinator according to On3.

Petrino, who coached the Atalanta Falcons to a 3-10 record in 2007, has been the head coach at Louisville, Arkansas, Western Kentucky, Louisville again, Missouri State and finally Arkansas again. Last season he started the year as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Arkansas before Sam Pittman was fired midway through the 2025 season. The Razorbacks went 0-7 with Petrino acting as interim coach and he was not retained.

Now Petrino is headed to North Carolina to work with Bill Belichick and Mike Lombardi to try and turn around one of the worst offenses in college football.

The Tar Heels went 4-8 in Belichick's first season at North Carolina.

Next. Bill Belichick Timeline: From Patriots Firing to UNC Turmoil. Bill Belichick Timeline: From Patriots Firing to UNC Turmoil. dark


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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in media since 2008 and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Douglas spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and previously wrote for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.