Bill Belichick tried hard to stop rumors about why North Carolina did not become the first college football team featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks. “The ‘Hard Knocks’ thing, just for the record, ‘Hard Knocks’ is training camp. And we’re not training camp,” Bill Belichick explained a few months ago. “That’s not what we are, the drama of training camp, and who’s going to get cut and all that. We’re a season, and they don’t want that.” He did admit there were film issues, but eventually brushed it off, saying, “The Hard Knocks just didn’t fit for us. That’s the bottom line.”

But reports revealed a dramatic backstory. Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, allegedly pushed for an executive producer role, demanded daily footage, and even asked NFL Films to “treat her with respect, or they wouldn’t get to use the coach’s IP.” That alleged power play reportedly cost UNC around $200,000 in fees, as well as the increased attention that comes with Hard Knocks. Whatever may have been the reason, the HBO deal fell through, and recently Belichick and UNC have turned the loss into a new opportunity.

In a recent post on X shared by Carolina Football, Bill Belichick surprised fans with a big announcement: “I know that you guys heard there was a lot of interest in doing a, let’s call it, season-long documentary or season-long show about North Carolina football. I’m excited, really, to share with you that we will be doing that with EverWonder and Hulu that will showcase our football program.” 

Belichick has made it clear that the new documentary is all about UNC football. “It’s going to feature the players working hard, which you guys do. It’s about the players improving and getting better through their hard work, which you do… It’ll show our commitment to winning. It’ll show our commitment to the team. And that’s our priority,” said the 73-year-old coach. He added that the show will document the Tar Heels’ journey from when the program began months ago to where they end up on the field this season.

With six Super Bowl ring wins, Belichick is now shifting his focus to developing a solid culture in Chapel Hill. All that aside, Belichick’s actual on-field rebuild at UNC has been massive, with him bringing in 71 new players, including 40+ transfers and the rest high school recruits. His girlfriend, Jordan Hudson, even reposted the announcement on her Instagram, giving it her endorsement.

Fans give mixed reaction to Bill Belichick’s Hulu’s series announcement

The offseason in college football has been filled with drama concerning Bill Belichick and his girlfriend. We have seen all sorts of reports. Some even go as far as to say that the program banned Hudson from its facilities. UNC, on its part, largely denied these reports. While promoting his new book, the head coach defended his girlfriend against reports of her exercising control over the Tar Heels. Is the new announcement another chapter in the saga or an entirely different thing altogether?

Well, some fans are not ready to cut some slack to UNC. One fan questioned the worth that UNC holds in college football at this point: “No real streaming platform would make this series, so they cut a deal with C+ provider Hulu, whose founder (surprise) graduated from UNC.” The suggestion that the whole thing just happened because of an alumni connection is, to say the least, interesting.

Others warned against putting the spotlight on a team that still struggles to establish its footing. “A show to go 4-8,” another fan joked, and that line hit harder than it first appeared. 4-8 wasn’t just a random number; it was UNC’s actual record last season. With only four wins in 2024, the Tar Heels finished near the bottom of the ACC.

“The TCU game episode will hit like crack if we beat them,” one fan said, already marking UNC’s week 1 schedule for must-watch moments. For some, the value goes beyond wins and losses. “In the NIL era — getting the kids on a major streaming network is huge for recruiting,” another said. At the end of the day, the cameras will put UNC’s players in the spotlight, and in today’s game, that kind of visibility can definitely be as important as a win. We can’t deny one thing. Just like Deion Sanders did for Colorado, Bill Belichick is getting the eyeballs to UNC.