New info surfaces about Bill Belichick’s talks with North Carolina

Nov 18, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks on the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Bill Belichick stunned the sports world when he met with North Carolina last week about the school’s head coach job, and some new information about the talks has emerged.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Monday that discussions between Belichick and UNC remain ongoing. A resolution is expected this week whether Belichick takes the job or not.

Belichick has met with UNC officials one time, according to Thamel. That meeting took place in New York, but the two sides have had continued dialogue since.

While it is unclear who is leading the search for North Carolina’s next head coach, Board of Trustees Chair John P. Preyer is said to be a big Belichick advocate.

Those close to Belichick remain skeptical that the 72-year-old coach would actually take a college job, though some say Belichick has been “thorough” with his interest.

Sources also told Thamel that Belichick has done “a dive on nearly every aspect of college coaching.”

Belichick has 333 wins in his head coaching career (including postseason). That ranks second all time behind Don Shula’s 347. The assumption to this point had been that Belichick would want to pursue Shula’s record if he were to return to coaching. It would be downright shocking if he decided to venture into college coaching at this point in his life and career without having any prior experience.

That said, there have been some interesting theories about why Belichick might actually have interest in the UNC job.