Bill Belichick Is Going To Have A Hard Time Selling The Future At North Carolina Amid Non-Stop NFL Rumors

While everyone is having a field-day with Bill Belichick pacing his staff hires at North Carolina because of potential NFL opportunities, there seems to be one aspect of all this that's being overlooked in the process. What happens when the legendary coach decides that college football is just not his thing, and leaves after the 2025 season? 

We all knew this was going to be an interesting marriage between the Tar Heels and Belichick, not knowing if he was fully invested in coaching at this level. And by the way, that's a justifiable thing to worry about, especially in this era of college athletics where players are on one-year deals with each school. 

This week, the storyline has centered around Belichick not putting together a staff in a fairly reasonable timeframe, which has led to some worrying about him slow-playing this to give the NFL more time to discuss his return to the league. 

As of right now, Belichick has hired Freddie Kitchens as his OC, which didn’t take much convincing since he was already on Mack Brown's staff last season. Steve Belichick was hired as the defensive coordinator, which was a given once his father accepted the job. Chris Jones took a defensive assistant job, while Matt Lombardi will work on the offensive side. Also, Will Friend is being hired as the offensive line coach. 

Now that winter workouts have begun, it will be Moses Cabrera leading the strength and conditioning program for North Carolina, with Belichick being familiar with his work dating back to their New England Patriots days. So, that's four coaches, with plenty of spots left to fill to run a college football program. 

We're not even talking about the plethora of analyst positions and in-house recruiting staff, along with numerous other openings that will need to be filled over time. 

Sure, it's a process, but Belichick actually has time. While the transfer portal is closed, the Tar Heels can still add players if they are fit, and they will also have the spring period to work with. So, for the folks freaking out about the 2025 season, in January, I think you're focusing on the wrong aspect of this marriage. 

How Is Bill Belichick Selling The Future? NFL Rumors Aren’t Going Away

We've all seen the pictures floating around on social media, showing Belichick hitting the recruiting trail, visiting high school prospects. So how is he selling the future to prospects that are contemplating a commitment to North Carolina down the road? 

Do you think these NFL talks are just going to magically disappear after every team in the league looking for a coach fills their positions? No, and it would be stupid to think that way. There's a reason why his buyout drops from $10 million to $1 million in June. When more NFL teams decide that it's time to make a change following the 2025 season, Bill Belichick will be right there waiting to potentially pounce on an opportunity that fits. 

But what about all of those high school players that North Carolina is recruiting right now? How about the folks inside the building that don’t have the luxury of being a Belichick disciple? It's as if the Tar Heels are working on a one-year contract with the head coach, in the same way that players are going to sign contracts with schools once revenue-sharing begins this summer. 

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 12: Head Coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels speaks to the media during a press conference on December 12, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

The only guarantee right now is that the school has a head coach. But for how long? These are the questions recruits are asking, after they get past the allure of Bill Belichick standing in front of them and pitching them on playing for the Tar Heels. 

Earlier on Thursday, CBS Sports pointed out that Belichick hasn't actually signed a contract with UNC. But, he has signed a term-sheet proposal. The outlet, citing industry sources, says this is common place in college athletics. Further, CBS Sports went onto quote a UNC spokesperson as saying the school: "had coaches coach here for a year before they had an actual contract."

Some of this NFL talk, along with the pace of hiring assistant coaches, has led to North Carolina's GM Michael Lomabrdi to shoot down the rumors on social media.

"We are not slow, just being diligent, hired three people on Sunday. No one is nervous other than this erroneous report. A completely fabricated story. thank you," Lombardi wrote on X about a story regarding the hiring process for assistant coaches.

Sure, it takes time to put together a staff. We all know this. But again, it's not 2025 that folks should be discussing at length. 

One thing is clear: Selling the future of North Carolina football is going to be much harder than first expected. 

But UNC officials knew this before making the hire.