Steve Belichick Admits He Was 'Surprised' When His Father Took North Carolina Job

"I didn't see it coming."

Steve Belichick is entering his first season as UNC's defensive coordinator. | Screenshot via @InsideCarolinaVideo on YouTube.

Bill Belichick sent shockwaves through the sports world this past winter when, after spending nearly 50 years in the NFL, he interviewed for—and ultimately accepted—the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina.

Evidently, his son Steve was pretty surprised too.

"No, I didn't see it coming,” said the eldest Belichick son—who followed his father to Chapel Hill as the Tar Heels' defensive coordinator—speaking to reporters on Wednesday.

"[And] I take all the credit for him being in college," he joked. "That's all me."

For those unfamiliar, Steve was a casualty of his father's January 2024 firing from the New England Patriots and spent last season as the defensive coordinator of the University of Washington Huskies.

"For my dad, he loves coaching football," Belichick continued. "That's his passion. And so this opportunity presented itself, I don't know how it all went down, but I was as surprised as everybody else to hear, 'Hey I'm going to North Carolina.' It was definitely a little interesting when that happened, but he just loves to coach football, loves to develop players, loves to be around the game. It's been that way my whole life and it hasn't changed yet."

The Tar Heels have built themselves quite the NFL-laced coaching staff since hiring the 73-year-old Belichick. Their three coordinators—which include Freddie Kitchens and Mike Priefer—all have experience in the league, as do a handful of their assistants.

North Carolina opens the 2025 season on Monday, Sept. 1. They'll welcome the TCU Horned Frogs to Kenan Stadium for an 8:00 p.m. EST kick off.

---