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Bill Belichick shut down speculation about an NFL return by committing to a five-year deal with North Carolina in December. Taking over as coach of the Tar Heels presents a fresh challenge for the former New England Patriots legend as he will be working with a younger and less experienced players.
From a program standpoint, UNC’s roster includes many transfer players, which also makes it tough to predict their performance. However, FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt is confident in Belichick’s ability. Klatt previewed UNC's season under Belichick on "The Joel Clatt Show" on Monday.
"This is more of a bet on Bill Belichick," Klatt said (Timestamp- 27:40 onwards). "And I don't think Bill Belichick cares what all the noise is this offseason, I really don't-- what people are talking about, who they're talking about. I think he cares about getting this roster, the team, the players, to believe that they can go out there and just do their job.
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"And if you do in that conference against that schedule, I don't think anyone's running away from them. So there's a good chance that this is a team that's going to be in a lot of games that they play. You've got to be better than you. And he understands that. A lot of what-- in a lot of ways, that was the Patriot way."
UNC ended the 2024 season with a 6-6 record, followed by a 27-24 bowl loss to UConn on Dec. 28. Hope for a bounce back season this year is high under the guidance of Belichick.
The good news for UNC is that the Tar Heels will compete in the ACC, where they won’t often face teams with significantly better talent. Their biggest challenge is expected to be Clemson, which Bill Belichick's school will face on Oct. 4.
Joel Klatt praises Bill Belichick's winning mentality
Bill Belichick may be new to the college football scene, but he boasts one of the most impressive coaching resumes in the sport. As an NFL coach, he holds numerous records, including an unmatched 31-13 postseason record (the most playoff victories of any head coach in league history).
Joel Klatt compared Belichick’s competitive mentality to that of former Alabama coach Nick Saban:
"Bill, along with guys like Nick Saban, will talk a lot about the fact that games-- more games are lost in college football than won. So it's not that you've got to go out there and be better than everybody.
"It's just that you've got to go out there and not beat yourself. You got to be better than you. (Timestamp- 29:40 onwards):
With six Super Bowl titles to his name, the big question is whether Belichick can deliver a college football championship for UNC. Expecting a national title may be too ambitious right now, but Belichick is expected to elevate the Tar Heels into one of the top programs in the country.
