Bill Belichick is living up to the expectations he failed to stand on last season. The only catch is that he has made UNC a proper family affair. Both his sons are a crucial part of his staff. With Steve Belichick stepping away on what was initially framed as a quiet medical leave, his abrupt exit from the program has cracked the foundation of the Belichick regime.
However, this is not the reason why Bill Belichick is facing heavy criticism. To fill the position which abruptly opened, Belichick assigned defensive play-calling duties to his youngest son, Brian Belichick. While he was already in the building coaching the secondary, handing him the keys sparked an instant swift of nepotism backlash.
“The blatant nepotism,” one fan commented. “The nepotism knows no bounds,” another fan said. Many fans can’t believe about this decision made by the head coach. “Wait, Bill just spawned another Belichick to take over play calling??”
Brian Belichick is the youngest son of UNC head coach Belichick. He took over the game-day play-calling duties for the first two weeks of the 2026 season. He stepped up while his older brother, Steve Belichick, was on medical leave. After Steve’s official resignation on September 17, CBS Sports confirmed that Brian will maintain control of the defense moving forward.
Before joining his father’s staff at UNC ahead of the 2025 season, Brian spent nine years with the New England Patriots. He worked as a scouting assistant and defensive assistant. He spent his final five seasons as the team’s safeties coach. During his time in the NFL, he added two Super Bowl wins to his resume.
Unlike his brother Steve, who departed New England immediately after Bill Belichick’s exit, Brian briefly chose to stay with the Patriots for the 2024 season to coach under Jerod Mayo. He eventually reunited with his family in college football. This has also placed him under the direct line of fire from the fans.
A fan called him “Nepo baby”.
This isn’t the first time Belichick has found himself in such a position. Belichick has faced nepotism criticism for over a decade. He employed both of his sons on his New England Patriots staff for years. When he moved to college football, he brought both sons with him to UNC. He allocated a combined $1.8 million of the school’s budget exclusively to his children. Steve was signed at $1.3M and Brian at $500K.
While Brian Belichick spent years coaching safeties in the NFL under his father, he has never served as a defensive coordinator or called plays at any level prior to this season. Critics argue that a high-profile college program like North Carolina shouldn’t be used as an experimental training ground for the head coach’s children. They even called out the head coach, “Nepotism is what Bill Belichick knows best,” one fan said.
However, one fan came to his rescue. He commented, ‘I’m seeing accusations of nepotism, but let’s not forget Bill’s dad was a long-time coach.’That nepo baby turned out pretty good. 🐐 Carry on…”
Whatever the public narrative is regarding his promotion, Brian Belichick’s defensive unit has completely bought into his play-calling. He quietly led the Tar Heels to a 2-0 start. He also landed UNC at a No. 21 national ranking in defensive yards allowed per play. Players have responded well to his adjustments on the field with a high level of execution.