So, Bill Belichick at UNC? Yeah, nobody saw that coming. Like, nobody. Not even the most die-hard Tar Heels fans! But here’s the 72-year-old in the head coach’s seat, and he’s just passionate about what’s next. And honestly, he’s got his work cut out for him, especially after that transfer portal craziness.

When Belichick finally started talking about his recruiting moves, you could definitely see some Patriots DNA creeping in. It’s like, post-Mack Brown, Tar Heel fans are gonna have to get used to seeing their team play a whole new ballgame.

Now, let’s be real, the Tar Heels’ last season wasn’t exactly a highlight reel. 6-7, 3-5 in the ACC, and chilling at 12th in the conference. So, you’d think Belichick would come in and hit the gas, right? Nope. Curveball. Players were jumping ship left and right. January rolls around, and they’re sitting at 33rd in the transfer portal rankings. But Belichick, being Belichick, tried to calm everyone down. He went on ESPN College GameDay and laid out his plan for building a ‘cohesive unit.’

Well, Belichick is focusing on the good part of the current scenario. He stated, “With all the players that left we got plenty of opportunity. So we assigned guys and we’re going to recruit a big class this year.” The HC and his staff did some heavy lifting in the transfer portal and added 18 players since his takeover in mid-December. The ex-Patriots HC also signed 11 high school recruits during the early signing period and 10 more in February. However, the HC is still not ready to hit the ‘SETTLE’ button. 

Yes, there have been a lot of speculations that at the age of 72, Belichick will not be able to keep up with the other head coaches who are in their 40s and 50s, like Dan Lanning and Lane Kiffin. As Bruce Feldman once raised an alarm for the UNC HC, “I think it’s different when you’re that age; once you I think get over 55, I think things start to get a lot heavier, right?” And look how Belichick is proving that age is just a number.

He is out there to hunt down players and assures, “So we have 105 scholarships, other than the 85 it used to be. So we got plenty of space we’re looking for good players.” As the HC is out on the road to gather the building blocks, he is sprinkling some New England tradition over Chapel Hill.  

Bill Belichick’s vision from ‘Me’ to ‘We’ 

Now as Belichick walks into North Carolina, he carries with him a glittery past. Six Super Bowl titles within his 23-year-long stint as Patriots HC. You know, that kind of success, you can’t just leave it behind. It’s going to spill over, no matter what. But it looks like he’s putting his own spin on things with the Tar Heels. He’s sprinkling that Patriots magic, like making the players wear nameless jerseys at practice.

Belichick’s whole thing is, forget the name on your back, forget the number. Your game should speak for itself. You have to earn your spot by how you play. And at the end of the day, it’s not about you, it’s about the team. “Numbers and what color gloves we wear and all that is not as important as doing your job, being responsible and accountable to your teammates and being a good teammate, so our focus is on the team,” Belichick stated. However, in another case, he did break free of the Patriots’ tradition. 

Going by the hush-hush, Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels will be featured on the off-season edition of ‘Hard Knocks.’ The HBO show has always featured the NFL giants. But last year, the New York Giants landed in a controversy. Post which no team agreed to be a part of it. Back in New England, Belichick too openly stated that he disliked the show. Looks like the HC has flipped his own script.   

With Brian and Steve Belichick and even Jamie Collins, he’s bringing the Patriots’ core right to North Carolina. Belichick isn’t just building a team or bringing back tradition; he’s rebuilding his NFL dynasty, piece by familiar piece, and you know he’s got something big planned.