Why did Bill Belichick go to UNC? Bill O’Brien gives an interesting take that originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
To no one’s surprise, Bill Belichick took another head coaching job after parting ways with the New England Patriots in January. The eight-time Super Bowl champion enjoys coaching, and many assumed he would eventually find another job.
But Belichick going to college football and not taking an NFL job was certainly a surprise. He was officially introduced as the new head football coach at the University of North Carolina on Thursday. Belichick takes over a program that went 6-6 last season, has one bowl game win in the last 10 years and hasn’t won an ACC title since 1980.
One person who knows about leaving the NFL for college football is Bill O’Brien.
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He was the offensive coordinator for the Patriots in 2011 before taking over as Penn State’s head coach in 2012. After two years at Penn State, O’Brien became the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020. After a stint at Alabama and a brief return to the Patriots, O’Brien is now in his first season as the head coach at Boston College. The Eagles will close out the season against Nebraska in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 28.
What does O’Brien think about Belichick’s move to college football? He joined Tom E. Curran on the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Patriots Talk Podcast discuss this topic and more.
“I’m not that surprised,” O’Brien said. “I would say the way the structure is in the NFL in most organizations, with the exception of maybe, say, the Kansas City Chiefs and maybe the Los Angeles Rams, maybe it’s a coach-oriented system at those places, probably.” But I’d say it’s a partnership between 28 to 30 other teams.
“It’s a partnership between the general manager and the head coach that has to be on the same page. And if they’re not, then it’s hard to build a winning team. And so I think Bill, and I’m not talking for Bill, I haven’t talked to Bill at all.. .but I would suspect that it just wasn’t appropriate and in college football you can go places where you think they’re going to give you the resources to do the one in charge is it’s a model aimed at a coach in college football.
“You definitely have people to report to, don’t get me wrong. He has a boss in North Carolina. But at the end of the day, you run it your way. You implement your systems, whether it’s football, strength and conditioning, nutrition, player development, that you do everything your way, and that’s why I think it was like that for him.”
It’s true that very few NFL teams give the head coach complete control (or close to it), especially when it comes to roster and drafting decisions. Belichick has had plenty of authority in New England for more than two decades, but that setup doesn’t really exist in 2024.
However, it does exist in college football. At the university, the head coaches lead the program. They have huge influence and many of them are stars themselves.
There are probably other reasons why Belichick chose North Carolina. He has a family connection to the school, as his father was an assistant coach for the Tar Heels for three years in the 1950s.
The hiring of Belichick gives the North Carolina football program some much-needed buzz. Will it translate into more success on the field? We’ll have to wait to find out, but UNC has a pretty soft 2025 schedule.
Even in this episode:
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Looking ahead to BC vs. Nebraska in The Pinstripe Bowl
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Is O’Brien surprised by Belichick’s move?
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How will Belichick change as a coach?