Report: North Carolina, Bill Belichick talks remain 'ongoing' for coaching vacancy
On Monday, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that talks between North Carolina and former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick are ongoing. North Carolina fired head coach Mack Brown on Nov. 26 and has been searching for a new head coach since.
Early in the process, reports surfaced claiming Belichick was in discussion with the program about the opening. Evidently, those talks haven’t slowed down. Thamel believes some form of a resolution will emerge by the end of this week.
Whether that means Belichick is North Carolina’s next head coach or the program simply continues its search remains to be seen. On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided further details on the developing situation.
“There are ongoing conversations between Bill and the school,” Schefter said on Sunday NFL Countdown. “They have not been able to come close to a deal, from what I’ve heard so far. I think it’s unlikely that he winds up ultimately as the head coach at North Carolina, but the two sides have been talking. They’ve been going back-and-forth, and I think the one thing that we can draw from this is that Bill Belichick wants to coach – whether it’s in the NFL or whether it’s in college.
“I know there are college coaches who are fleeing to go to the NFL. I think Bill doesn’t look at the world the same way that everyone else [does]. He looks at the college world as a business model now, that is run a little bit like the NFL. And he has no problem if the right job is at the college level, he would take it. There have been conversations. They’re continuing to go on. North Carolina wants a coach by tomorrow because the transfer portal opens. I don’t know if it’s gonna be Bill, though. … We don’t think it’s gonna happen.”
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Belichick’s credentials speak for themselves. He boasts eight Super Bowl rings, including six with the New England Patriots alongside Tom Brady, and is considered arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. During his career as a head coach with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns, Belichick amassed a 302-165 record.
Moreover, Belichick’s allure only grows as other coaching candidates drop out of the race. On Sunday, Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall reportedly told school officials he will not be pursuing another job this cycle.
Other early candidates such as former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell also appear unlikely to be interested in the job. According to Thamel, North Carolina has reached out to Army head coach Jeff Monken.