Bill Belichick to North Carolina reaction: Why college football, NFL figures either love — or hate — hire

The multi-day melodrama that played out between Bill Belichick and North Carolina blunted a bit of the shock of the Tar Heels hiring the 72-year-old, six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach, but industry consensus was nonetheless stunned/shocked/surprised as the two sides barreled closer to the goal-line.

The news finally saw daylight Wednesday. North Carolina officially announced Belichick as coach Dec. 11, with him saying in a statement he looked forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill. 

CBS Sports surveyed a smattering of athletic directors, coaches and agents about the Belichick-North Carolina marriage, offering anonymity in exchange for candor.

College/pro coaching agent: “North Carolina, at this point, does not care about football being successful.” 

SEC athletic director: “Obviously a brilliant coaching mind. He also brings a pragmatic view of how to balance money in this new age of paying players … Not sure of the fit. Saying that, I would never bet against him.”

Big Ten athletic director: “You’re only as good as your options, keep that in mind, if he’s serious candidate then that tells me a bit about the options.”

SEC athletic director: “I think it’s a risk/reward situation. The guy obviously knows how to win, has been in a pro system which we are basically headed to, etc. Not sure he’d be great with donors and some of the things that pro sports don’t have. I do think we all have to think outside the box moving forward though.”

Agent: “They’d be replacing one 70-plus year-old-dude with another, in an ever-evolving era of football and a coach who’s never navigated it, and he seems to get annoyed at the slightest hint of him not having all the power. 

“With donors, campus reps, and a state university, he will find it incredibly frustrating within three months of the job and asking himself when does the football start. I don’t see it as anything more than him forcing the NFL’s hand in giving him another chance.”

SEC defensive coordinator: “It’s complete insanity. How does that work? I think the appeal of his experience will help tremendously — but it’s still about relationships and the NIL piece is important!

“Obviously he’s a great coach and super smart. The college game is different. But he will have a great staff and adapt.”

Former FBS head coach with NFL experience: “While everyone should want to play for the legendary coach, and absorb all the knowledge, the style that Bill used in New England will make it tough to retain talent given the modern landscape of college football.”

NFC team executive upon Belichick’s initial involvement last week: “I wonder how much offset (salary) he has left and has to show good faith effort.” 

• CBS Sports, in reply: Why not sit on the shelf all year? “He works, it’s all he knows.”

College coaching agent: “I can’t wait for him to inevitably publicly shit on the UNC donors in three months about how annoying college is.” 

College coaching agent: literally just texted the dumpster fire emoji.

AFC executive on Bill’s motivations: “I’m shocked, everybody in our building is talking about it — scouts, analysts, strength coaches. I think he’s salty over the Apple doc and on a screw-the-NFL thing recently.” 

• Same exec on staff: “Is Joe Judge going to run his offense? Is that going to work? 

College personnel staffer: “They’ve set the program back years with this. How much of that ‘Bible’ are they gonna commit to?” 

College coaching agent: “Dumb. Like Bill Walsh going back to Stanford but worse.”

College coaching agent: “Shocked. Stunned. Surprised they went for it. Will be the best move they’ve ever made or set them back a decade. The turmoil between the athletic department showed their teeth on this.”

College/pro coaching agent: “This is going to speed up the change of the college game. Everyone is gonna be pumping money like crazy into this thing. Private equity, here we come.”

Assistant coach weighing options for where to go next in his career trajectory: “I want in!” 

Scout on Belichick’s thoughts: “I can pass on the NFL for a year and make $10 million and go get the wins record in 2026? Ok!”

MORE: Inside Belichick’s decision to go back to college