Paul Finebaum on Bill Belichick closing in on North Carolina job: 'Jaw dropping'

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum almost couldn’t believe the news of Bill Belichick closing in on a deal with North Carolina as the program’s new head coach.

Belichick, who’s considered the greatest NFL coach of all time, would dip into college for the first time. The deal is currently being finalized per multiple outlets and could have a resolution soon.

Finebaum would even want Belichick to turn back the clock on this one!

“It would be one of the most jaw dropping stories in the history of college football,” Finebaum said on SportsCenter. “We have never seen anything quite like this. I mean, this man is self explanatory. What he’s accomplished with his six Super Bowls, everything else, is the greatest coach of all time, and coming to college football at this most incredibly difficult time when nobody really knows which way it is going.

“I was thinking as I saw this story broke a minute ago. What would make this even more staggering that he goes back into the 90s with the Browns and hires his first defensive coordinator there, Nick Saban. Can you imagine? They’re best friends. It could happen.”

As the head coach of the Patriots from 2000-23, Belichick won six Super Bowls, the most ever for an NFL head coach. Belichick also has the most playoff wins (31) of any head coach in NFL history and the third-most regular season wins of all time (302).

For his excellence, he has been named the NFL Coach of the Year three times and is a member of the NFL’s 2000s and 2010s All-Decade teams. Now, Belichick will look to bring his experience to North Carolina.

Belichick has history with the Tar Heels. His father, Steve Belichick, coached the team’s backfield from 1953-55. He then took a job at Navy, where he coached for 33 years. Nonetheless, Bill Belichick hasn’t forgotten his family’s connection to Chapel Hill.