With less than 100 days before the Tar Heels kick off against TCU, everyone’s wondering: Can the best coach of all time actually make it work in college football, where recruiting, NIL deals, and the transfer portal present a varied set of challenges? Bill Belichick’s arrival followed the uneasy departure of Mack Brown, who didn’t exactly ride off into the sunset in peace. He’s thrown some shade at UNC, stating that the school is now “committed money to it, they’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards.”

The implication is clear. Belichick is benefiting from institutional support, both financial and academic. And so the Belichick era at UNC is not only about football—it’s turning the entire campus upside down. His elevated hiring budget (reports suggest that the team’s $40 million budget will increase by at least $8 million) has sent shockwaves through the entire university ecosystem at a time when UNC is facing a sobering financial reality. UNC is confronting a rather stormy financial outlook currently. Federal funding is uncertain, the state’s not so much opening the money spigots, and the higher education industry just received a negative outlook from Moody’s.

So, as reported by Wral News, the university administrators are making things leaner. This year, the Board of Trustees instructed the administration to sequester $50 million—roughly 4% of the overall spending-to prepare for potential future funding blows. State legislators are proposing a $100 million worth of reduction from the UNC System’s academic budget by 2026-27. The looming cuts might not just be limited to campus bureaucracy, however. The state Senate wants to require universities to eliminate at least $53 million worth of academic jobs and programs. That’s a significant amount, particularly for a school that boasts a renowned research and academic stature. The official line from UNC is that these cuts are about ‘long-term sustainability’ and ‘operational efficiencies.’

But when you’re slashing tens of millions from academic departments while simultaneously dropping a lump sum amount on a football coach, critics find it hard not to connect the dots. Students and professors are worried that the university is more concerned with athletics than academics. In fact, UNC is looking to increase out-of-state tuition by $46M next year. That’s in addition to the normal fees and cost-of-living increases. For students and parents, this is a double whammy: they’re paying more for less, as academic amenities dwindle while tuition payments increase. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, particularly when the university is making such a large, flashy investment in football.

What’s interesting is that UNC has historically tried to keep tuition low and has regularly ranked as the No. 1 best-value public university in the country because of its cost and quality. They have done a lot for in-state students. The last nine years have witnessed the school dodging tuition increases across the entire UNC System for in-state students (who on average pay $7336 annually) by systematically raising it for out-of-state students.

So why is UNC doing this? “The goal of this effort is to rebalance and calibrate the university back toward its core missions of teaching, research, and service — and to remove accompanying administrative burdens that make it hard for us to thrive,” UNC System President Peter Hans said. But increasing costs can also contribute to funding athletics, campus security, buses, and more. And that’s where football comes in. College football is a big money business, particularly in the South. A successful program generates money, notoriety, and cachet. UNC is wagering that Belichick can provide all of that—and more. Meanwhile, though, the academic side of the university is being forced to cut back.

Mack Brown on Belichick getting the golden treatment!

Mack Brown has not been afraid to weigh in on the new Bill Belichick era at UNC—and to be honest, he’s been fairly forthcoming, with a pinch of salt. In an interview earlier this month, Brown made it quite clear that he believes Belichick is stepping into a much nicer situation than he ever did. “As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick now, he’s arguably the best coach ever,” Brown explained.

He also noted that UNC has all-in invested to position Belichick for success in the way that they never invested in him. Brown singled out two of the biggest changes: money and academics. “There’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be successful. And anymore, they’ve changed the roster … So you’ve got a chance to succeed at the highest level, and I expect him to do that and I’m proud of him.”

UNC’s NIL budget grew from $4 million to $20 million with the arrival of Belichick—funds that Brown never had access to. He spoke of how, in his day, he sometimes had to instruct players to depart for greener pastures because he simply couldn’t match up on the NIL side.

And then there’s the academic angle: Brown noted that when he coached, UNC required a minimum 3.0 GPA from recruits, making it challenging to attract premier talent.