After Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots parted ways following the end of the 2023 season, it really didn’t come as a surprise to a lot of people. It was in the best interest of both to cut ties and move on.
Knowing the competitor that Belichick was, you figured it was only going to be a matter of time before he ended up back on the sideline. However, he did end up on the sideline after taking a year off, but he made the surprising decision to come back in the college game at North Carolina.
The first year didn’t go as planned, as the Tar Heels went 4-8, and Belichick found out just how different things are compared to the NFL in college. Going into his second season, there need to be better results for the 74-year-old Super Bowl-winner. Before the season kicks off in two months, he got a warning from a college football writer.
North Carolina Coach Bill Belichick Gets Warning From One College Football Writer
After his first season in Chapel Hill, he made some changes. He is bringing on Bobby Petrino has his offensive coordinator and had some roster turn over with the transfer portal. The schedule is tougher, but there needs to be progress made in Year 2. At least six wins and bowl game would take some of the pressure off. However, Austin Curtright of USA Today ranked all 17 ACC coaches and buried Belichick at the bottom.
“Everyone knows Bill Belichick’s resume with the New England Patriots, winning six Super Bowls as head coach from 2001-23. He’s one of the best NFL coaches ever, but his one season so far at North Carolina was far from a success, as the Tar Heels went 4-8 and looked largely unorganized and dysfunctional at times,” wrote Curtright.
Not many people would disagree with the unorganized and dysfunctional at times part. The season started with a blowout loss to TCU, and it didn’t get much better. It also proved that Belichick has a lot to prove at the college level.
“It was an experiment hire for North Carolina, but paired with his large salary making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college football, he’ll need to start winning games,” added Curtright.
North Carolina Looking for Bounce-Back Season in 2026
Belichick was ranked 17th out of 17 ACC coaches by Curtright. Not exactly what Tar Heels fans want to see going into Year 2 of Belichick. At the bare minimum, he needs to win at least six games and get UNC to a bowl game.
The schedule isn’t easy. They have a Week 0 rematch with TCU. They also have a non-conference game against Notre Dame at home in early October. The eight-game ACC slate includes Miami, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville, and Pittsburgh.
It’s a weird schedule for the Tar Heels. They have two bye weeks, both in September. Not something you see every year. If North Carolina comes up short of six wins, then things get really interesting in terms of Belichick’s future. It’s a clear prove-it year for Belichick in Chapel Hill.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post North Carolina Coach Bill Belichick Gets a Warning Ahead of Pivotal Year 2 appeared first on HEAVY.