How Bill Belichick Being at UNC Altered What I Thought

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick has been called many things — a genius, a villain, a control freak, a legend — but never irrelevant.

“Chapel Bill” has taken Chapel Hill by storm and has brought unprecedented excitement to the area. Every home game at Kenan Stadium this season has been sold out since July 23 and UNC is projected to have the ninth-most expensive gameday experience, as it will cost two people $267 in total expenses. Also, the man has won six Super Bowls as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

However, Belichick has been one of the most misunderstood coaches ever. He has been seen as stoic, a curmudgeon and an introvert. He won’t answer some questions in detail but will give a soliloquy about the history of the fullback position.

However, since I started covering North Carolina last month, I have gained even more appreciation for the legendary coach.

Previous Misconceptions

When I became the beat writer for North Carolina Tar Heels on SI, one of my biggest concerns about the job was asking a question to Bill Belichick. That shouldn’t have been a concern because it’s simply part of the job. Still, much of what I perceived about Belichick came from what I saw of him at the podium, from the time I was 2 years old through my college graduation in 2023 — a span when he was the head coach of the New England Patriots the entire time.

To most, he comes off as dour, humorless and even cold — the monotone press conferences, the terse answers, the stoic sideline presence. A perfect example of this is the infamous "We're on to Cincinnati" presser. After a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that gave New England a 2-2 start at the beginning of the season in 2014, Belichick repeatedly used the phrase to deflect questions about the loss. Of course, they went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

But people who have worked with him or played under him often describe a very different side: witty, personable, and even playful in the right setting. Not only that, players love to play for him even if he has the highest of high standards put on players.

Below is a video of former two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback Perry Williams, a player coached by Bill Belichick when he was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. Although Williams is an NC State alumnus through and through, he still made time to inspire Belichick’s young UNC squad.

Big Dogs only.

Thank you to 2x Super Bowl Champion Perry Williams for speaking to the team! pic.twitter.com/sucZPJRN7y
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) August 14, 2025

I’ve seen that often in my few experiences with him. He loves to talk and teach football, and whether it’s praise or criticism, he’s honest — there’s no word salad with him.

While the media really haven’t seen Belichick in action because of the limits put in place by the lack of availability throughout fall camp, we have seen snippets of him in action. The biggest takeaway: he loves coaching.

𝐌𝐢𝐜’𝐝 𝐔𝐩 🎙️🎙️🎙️@Belichick_B pic.twitter.com/cf2axVs1D6
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) August 15, 2025

Does He Want to Be at Carolina?

UNC — Mar 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick before the game at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

While Belichick has made some people happy with his championship pedigree taking over the Carolina program, there are still some critics out there.

One critic is longtime sports radio host Colin Cowherd. Cowherd has a lot of respect for Belichick and has praised him countless times in the past. Although he thinks the hiring is interesting, he doesn't necessarily like UNC's hiring of Belichick and shows zero interest in being in Chapel Hill or coaching college football in general.

“I'm fascinated with this story,” Cowherd said. I mean, he's a grumpy 73 -year -old who never really showed any interest in college football at all. It doesn't exactly scream home run hire. You know, Belichick at Carolina feels like Donald Trump's first term in the White House. I'm not really sure what it's going to look like, but it's going to be interesting.”

I disagree with this wholeheartedly because Belichick has shown nothing but love towards his players and the two videos that were above were perfect examples of that. He wants to be here and he's excited to be coaching football again, even if he's coaching in a different setting.

“I don’t know how it all went down, but I was just as surprised as everybody else to hear, ‘Hey, I’m going to North Carolina.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ It was definitely a little interesting when that happened. But he just loves to coach football, loves to develop players, loves being around the game. It’s been that way my whole life, and it hasn’t changed,” UNC defensive coordinator Steve Belichick, Bill’s son, said of his initial reaction to his father getting the job, noting he wasn’t surprised because of his dad’s lifelong passion for coaching.

Final Thoughts

While he may be in Chapel Hill for a few seasons because he's at the tail end of his career, Belichick still has the same fire he has had for most of his career. While it's not certain whether his time at Carolina will be successful or not, everyone, including myself, has grown to admire the six-time Lombardi Trophy winner.

He could have said goodbye, retired, and followed in the footsteps of former assistant Nick Saban by becoming an analyst for one of the major sports networks. Instead, he decided to give it one more go, teaching student-athletes how to succeed on the field and in life during one of the most complicated eras in college football history.

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