North Carolina Will Have Options With ACC Future

While Bill Belichick becoming the head coach of North Carolina’s football team is shocking enough, something even more shocking might come amidst.

According to a report from Inside Carolina, North Carolina are targeting the SEC as their preferred conference if they were to leave the ACC.

The conference’s exit fees are scheduled to decline from $93 million in the 2029-30 academic year to a flat $75 million starting in 2030-31. This reduction “would figure to become an important final line of demarcation, if the Tar Heels haven’t made their departure sooner,” according to Inside Carolina.

Inside Carolina cited the March settlement to last year’s lawsuit filed by Clemson and Florida State challenging the conference exit fee and revenue distribution figures from the ACC for providing a “substantial victory to member schools for exploring possible pathways toward leaving the conference and relocating to greener financial pastures.”

Per the ACC settlement terms, the league’s exit fees go from $165 million this current academic year to $147 million in 2026-27. The number drops to $129 million in 2027-28, and $111 million in 2028-29 before dropping under the $100 million threshold beginning in 2029, per Inside Carolina’s report.

While many Carolina fans may view the idea of the Tar Heels leaving the ACC for the SEC as far-fetched, the university’s recent moves suggest otherwise.

Former RFK Racing CEO Steve Newmark, a Chapel Hill native, will be taking over as UNC’s athletic director in 2026, replacing longtime AD Bubba Cunningham.

In addition to serving as CEO of RFK Racing, Newmark was part of the group that helped create NASCAR’s charter system and has acted as a liaison between the teams and NASCAR on major industry initiatives over the past decade.

Before joining RFK Racing, he was a partner at the Charlotte-based law firm Robinson Bradshaw & Hinson, where he specialized in sports and entertainment law and worked extensively with the SEC, Conference USA and the NCAA.

With experience in both professional sports and collegiate athletics, Newmark is well positioned to succeed Cunningham at a time when college sports increasingly mirror the professional model.

If that alone doesn’t make the case, then why else would Bill Belichick come to Chapel Hill? For any school to join the SEC or Big Ten, it must demonstrate a serious commitment to football — the primary driver of athletic revenue.

UNC has done exactly that in recent years, first by bringing Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown out of retirement, and more recently by giving Belichick a guaranteed $10 million over the next three years to give him his first college job in his coaching career.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Belichick was hired to help lead the transition into the SEC, which is why winning matters now more than ever. The university is betting big on Belichick — and it needs that investment to pay off.

What also helps North Carolina’s case is its strong overall athletics program — particularly in basketball and baseball.

UNC basketball is one of the sport’s premier programs, with six national championships and a record 21 Final Four appearances.

The Tar Heels have also excelled on the baseball diamond, advancing to the College World Series 12 times — including eight since 2006 — and capturing nine ACC championships. They finished as the national runner-up in both 2006 and 2007.

The SEC has made significant investments in basketball in recent years and has seen results in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama reached its first Final Four in 2024, followed by two SEC teams — Auburn and Florida — advancing in 2025.

Florida defeated Auburn in the national semifinal before beating Houston in the championship game to claim the program’s third national title.

In baseball, an SEC school has won the College World Series in seven of the past eight seasons, including LSU in 2025. The Tigers have claimed the title in two of the last three years.

Although it may seem unlikely, did anyone expect Cal, SMU and Stanford to join the ACC? Or Maryland to leave for the Big Ten? North Carolina doesn’t want to be left behind like Oregon State and Washington State, after 10 of the Pac-12’s 12 members left for the ACC, Big 12 or Big Ten.

While the Tar Heels have a stronger athletic tradition, they’re not going to sit around waiting for a golden invitation to the SEC. It’s time to get to work.

Like the old saying goes: follow the money.

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