"I was expecting him to be mundane & always cussing": UNC players dumbfounded by Bill Belichick's unorthodox attitude

When Bill Belichick became the coach at North Carolina, many did not know what to expect, including Belichick himself. It’s his first season coaching in college, and even he has said he is not sure how good the team will be yet. But while the environment is new, Belichick’s well-known image as a strict, detail-obsessed football genius has followed him to Chapel Hill.

Well, that’s to be expected, given Belichick called the Tar Heels “the 33rd NFL team” upon his arrival. However, according to UNC wide receiver Jordan Shipp, the version of Belichick the players see every day is very different.

“Sometimes you forget it's the greatest coach of all time," Shipp said, via an ESPN article by David Hale published on Tuesday.

Shipp is a sophomore who played in 12 games as a freshman. He had nine catches for 114 yards and scored one touchdown. What surprised the WR about his new coach is how he acts off the field.

At their first team meeting, Belichick wore a suit and a tie. But after that, it was all cut-off sweatshirts and a much more relaxed attitude. He has made an effort to be close with his players.

"His office is always open,” Shipp said. “I can go in and watch film whenever. It's a safe space with him at all times."

The most telling moment for Shipp came in mid-May, when he asked Belichick if he could miss meetings to attend his younger brother’s graduation.

"That's something you don't miss," Belichick told him.

Many other players are in agreement that Bill Belichick isn’t as he seems, including safety Will Hardy, who is entering his senior season after making 34 total tackles in 2024.

"I was expecting him to be a lot of what you see in interviews, very mundane, always cussing you out," Hardy said. "He's an encourager."

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Tom Brady on what makes Bill Belichick great

Quarterback Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowls with Bill Belichick in New England, shared what makes his former coach special.

"What they're going to get is, obviously, the most prepared, the most hard-working coach that I had ever been around," Brady told FOX Sports’ Joel Klatt on Tuesday’s episode of "Big Noon Conversations."

"If you go to that school, you will be prepared to play at the next level. He's going to teach you the right fundamentals, the right techniques. He's going to have a high expectation for you, and you're going to develop a lot. That's what I know."

However, Brady acknowledged that coaching college athletes will be a “new learning curve" for the coach since Belichick is used to working with experienced pros, not “17 or 18-year-olds” who are still learning the foundation.

Bill Belichick has taken over a program that finished 6-7 last season and has never made the College Football Playoff. It will become clear in time how the upcoming season pans out for the legendary coach.