“They lowered those standards”: Mack Brown minces no words while laying out expectations for Bill Belichick at UNC

The North Carolina Tar Heels made a big change this offseason, signing Bill Belichick as the team's new head coach. The decision came after former head coach Mack Brown, who had coached the team since 2019, was fired at the end of the season.

The signing of Belichick caused quite a stir in the college football world. He is one of the winningest head coaches in the history of the NFL. However, he has never coached at the college level. So, fans and media members are interested to see if his coaching style translates to college football.

On Tuesday, former Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown appeared on Sirius XM College Sports Radio to speak about his departure and the signing of Bill Belichick. He spoke with optimism about the future of the program with Belichick leading the team.

"As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick now, he’s arguably the best coach ever," Brown said. "They’ve committed money to it, they’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards some. So there’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be successful."

"They've changed the roster. I think they've signed 60 something new transfers. So you’ve got a chance to succeed at the highest level, and I expect him to do that and I’m proud for him."

Mack Brown's tenure as the head coach at North Carolina came to an unceremonious end last season. Brown declared his intention to return for the 2025 season in late November, but one day later, it was announced that he would not be returning. Athletic director Bubba Cunningham made the decision.

Bill Belichick takes over a North Carolina team that has lost five bowl games in a row

Bill Belichick is known for his teams nearly always being successful on the football field. He was the leader of the New England Patriots dynasty in the 2000s and 2010s, which won six Super Bowls. As a result, there is an expectation in Chapel Hill that he will be able to get the Tar Heels back on track.

Although the team has not fully bottomed out over the past several seasons, it has not been overly successful. This past season, North Carolina lost 27-14 to Connecticut in the Fenway Bowl. The loss marked the fifth bowl game loss in a row for the team. The last time they won a bowl game was in 2019 with a 55-13 win over Temple in the Military Bowl.