The More You Do: Steve Belichick’s Versatility-Driven Defense at UNC

Since his days in New England coaching under his father, Bill Belichick, North Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Belichick has emphasized flexibility and adaptability as core principles of his defense. He is now tasked with fixing a defense that has been below average at best and downright horrible at its worst.

Last season, the Tar Heels ranked No. 67 nationally in run defense, No. 72 in total defense, No. 89 in scoring defense, No. 102 in passing defense and No. 105 in takeaways out of 133 FBS teams. Carolina allowed at least 34 points in five of its seven losses, with its worst performance coming in a 70-50 defeat to James Madison, a Group of Five program.

Although Washington had reached the national championship game the year before, its defense allowed more than 400 total yards per game — ranking 96th nationally — and nearly 260 passing yards per game, which ranked 117th.

But in just one year under Belichick, it became one of the nation’s best in 2024, finishing No. 28 in total yardage. The Huskies allowed just 328.3 yards per game, and a major reason for the turnaround was their pass defense, which allowed just 166.5 yards per game — second best in the country. The unit jumped 113 spots from the previous season, a colossal improvement.

Belichick gets his philosophy from his father, who often used players in different areas of the field to exploit mismatches during his time in New England. Two notable examples are linebackers Willie McGinest and Rob Ninkovich.

McGinest primarily played linebacker but also lined up as a defensive end when needed. Ninkovich began his career as a linebacker during his first three seasons in New England before moving to defensive end, a position he played for the remainder of his career.

"He always tells us, the more you can do, the more you play," North Carolina linebacker Khmori House, who played for Belichick at Washington, said. "It's very important on this defense and I think that if you're a smart football player and you can do a lot, you'll be able to play a lot more. That's just how it works, that's football."

UNC — Sep 21, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies linebacker Khmori House (28) celebrates with safety Justin Harrington (4) following an interception against the Northwestern Wildcats during the fourth quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Establishing a solid foundation in fundamentals is essential, according to Belichick. He encourages his players to explore their versatility without forcing drastic position changes.

"If you've got a good foundation with your fundamentals, that's a great place to start," Belichick said. "And then just, you know, try and push the limits and see how far you can take it. We're not going to, you know, drastically change players' positions or anything like that. But, you know, just see how much they can do, see how comfortable they are doing it. If they don't like to do it, then, you know, we can find somebody else."

While he values contributions from every position group, Belichick’s philosophy starts with the trenches, where he believes dominant line play can dictate the flow of a game. That belief ties directly into his broader view on versatility — the idea that players who can handle multiple roles not only strengthen the defense, but elevate the entire team.

"Yeah, I think, you know, the game really starts up front with the offensive and defensive line," Belichick said. "And for those guys, you know, the more energy and the more juice that they have, the harder they play, you know, the harder it makes it on the offense.

UNC — North Carolina defensive lineman Leroy Jackson | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

"Everybody else is important. I'm not, you know, taking those guys off the hook, but I think when those guys play well up front, it makes everybody's job a lot easier," Belichick added. "It puts a lot of stress on the offense. So definitely starts up front. I'm a firm believer in that. And, yeah, I would say schematically and versatility-wise, the more you can do, you know, the more value you bring to the defense."

Belichick's defense will be tested in the first game of the season against TCU on Labor Day, who had one of the best passing attacks in the country last season.

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