Former All-Pro Begins New Chapter as UNC Linebackers Coach

Former All-Pro Jamie Collins starts his coaching career at UNC under Bill Belichick, bringing NFL experience and energy to the Tar Heels.

Oct 28, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a North Carolina Tar Heels helmet on the field before a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Like many men who retire from their profession, they go out golfing and roam around the house, and occasionally, annoy their loved ones.

That’s what happened with Jamie Collins after he retired from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2022 season. But unlike many retirees, he was in his mid-30s and still full of energy, eager to carve out a new chapter in life while others his age were just beginning to settle down. His wife, Katrina, finally told him it was time to find something to do in retirement.

While doing so, Bill Belichick called his former player when he became the head coach of  North Carolina and offered him the linebacker coach role. Collins took the offer rather quickly.

• “I thought about it for, like, two seconds, but it was a no-brainer,” Collins said on Thursday. “He is the greatest coach, and it would have been ignorant for me to not accept it. So, yeah, it was very easy. It was very quick. Chopped it up with the wife. It was real quick, but it was an opportunity that I just had to take.

Collins gave coaching a thought during his last season in the NFL. He described himself as a player’s coach at the time, giving his teammates bits of advice here and there. Collins learned his share of lessons from Belichick in the 79 games he spent with the franchise across seven seasons.

• “Football is my life, man. That was the experience I got, all the knowledge I picked up. It’s only right to give it back. It’s only right to let it back out and share my experiences and my trials and tribulations with the game to somebody else. And what better group would it be than a bright, up-and-coming group of talents here at UNC? So it was just like, why not? I have a lot to give, so let me go out here and give it a shot.”

Collins’ Transition from Playing to Coaching

Aug 11, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots outside linebacker Jamie Collins (91) on the sidelines during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

This season is Collins’ first foray into coaching, and he’s begun to see the differences in approaching the sport as a player versus as a coach.

• “When I was playing, I let a lot of the skills take over, so I didn’t need every single detail when I was playing,” Collins said. “But when you’re coaching, you have to slow it down. You have to break it down. And on this level, some of the guys don’t understand certain things. So coaching and playing is very different, and now I’m getting better at the details, breaking down every single thing.”

In his 10-year NFL career, Collins spent three separate stints with the Patriots. New England drafted him out of Southern Miss in 2013 in the second round with the 52nd overall pick. Collins also played for the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions while in the NFL. He recorded career totals of 708 tackles, 26.5 sacks, 12 interceptions and 19 forced fumbles.

He was also a member of the 2014 New England Patriots squad that brought home the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy with a dramatic victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

While at Southern Miss, he played under Larry Fedora for three seasons from 2009 to 2011. Fedora left after the 2011 season to take over at North Carolina, where he coached for seven years from 2012 to 2018. Collins said he has great respect for Fedora, noting that he and Belichick are two of the coaches he has learned from the most.

• “Fedora, he was super energetic, always happy, kept us having a good time,” Collins said. “And I liked that, because it always took away from the toughness and the hard times in football. And then Bill, just the ultimate brains, the details, every single detail and all the special situations and stuff like that. I definitely try to mimic and pick up on stuff like that from a lot of guys.”

Belichick hasn’t changed much on the field since leaving the NFL, Collins said.

• “The only difference is college and NFL,” Collins said. “He’s still Bill, and that’s what you’re gonna get with him: consistency. And that’s what I appreciate the most, is being consistent. As long as somebody’s consistent, then you can’t judge them. You can’t say anything about him. He’s gonna give you his best every day, all day. He’s always gonna be the same dude.”

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