What does one do when one enters uncharted territory? They call upon help from those who’ve traversed it before. There is very little, if anything, that Bill Belichick hasn’t seen on the football field. Unequivocally, one of the greatest minds to grace the NFL. However, College Football, with all its caveats and wrinkles, is a different prospect. Well, it does help that his footprint affords him more aid than the usual first-time CFB coach.

As he makes a foray into unfamiliar terrain with the UNC Tar Heels, Bill has onboarded son Stephen, a.k.a. Steve Belichick, to show him the proverbial ropes. Steve Belichick joins in the capacity of defensive coordinator, a role he previously held with the Washington Huskies. Albeit the sorrow is alleviated when it’s to reunite with your father and coaching mentor, goodbyes are still tough. Steve opened up about his short-lived yet evidently memorable stint at U-Dub.

Steve Belichick conversed with Pat McAfee on his namesake show as a virtual guest alongside Bill Belichick. ”I had a blast.” said Steve when asked about his experience in his first CFB role. Something his father has now embarked upon. “I really appreciate coach [Jedd] Fisch [and] all those players out of UW. It was awesome…I loved working with those guys. They’re hungry,” he said. Fisch and Belichick came to Washington together after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama after the Natty run last season. 

Steve and Bill Belichick proclaimed to be out and about as they’re “trying to build the staff [and] trying to build the team” in North Carolina. A fabled school etched into the upper echelons of collegiate sport. But for their escapades on the hardwood, not the gridiron. “We’ve got a long way to go. But we got to hit the road now and see what’s gonna happen,” said Steve Belichick.

Coaching  at a college program entails much more than just tactical acumen, which Bill Belichick has aplenty. Recruitment is a key responsibility at this level. Towards the end of his tenure in New England, Belichick had more misses than hits in the draft. Plus, the advent of the transfer portal and NIL has made it a more onerous proposition. This has caused widespread skepticism of whether he’ll be able to translate his success to UNC. Which is why bringing in Steve is perhaps a shrewd move. But it didn’t come about in linear fashion. In fact, Steve’s arrival in North Carolina brought about some very scathing allegations.

Steve and Bill Belichick hit with allegations of tampering at the onset of UNC tenure

Despite taking over the Huskies’ DC job mere months ago, his father’s arrival at UNC immediately instigated rumours that Steve will jump ship. Activity in the transfer portal far from dissipated that notion. In fact, the CFB sphere was onto Steve and, by extension, Bill Belichick with some allegations that are perhaps not too far-fetched. There was prevalent concern that the pair may have been involved in some kind of insider trading through the portal.

The allegations stemmed after Huskies’ linebacker Khmori House left Washington and hit the portal. Curiously, went on to join the Tar Heels. The consensus feeling around UW was that  House’s decision to leave came as a huge shock. Claims of tampering and foul play ensued, and so did Steve Belichick’s own arrival in Chapel Hill. House was rated the 2nd best linebacker traversing the portal and remains perhaps the biggest coup of the Bill Belichick era thus far.

It’s impossible to discern how Bill Belichick will do at this level. A couple of things, though, are pretty certain. The sport is in a better place with him on the sidelines, permeating his wealth of experience and acumen into young athletes. With a familiar running mate by his side, Belichick Sr. will hope his transition is nice and smooth. First, he’ll seek to make more in-roads on the recruitment front. Something that is a potential blind-spot which could lead to things spiralling rather quickly.