Bill Belichick has mentored NFL legends like Drew Bledsoe, Randy Moss, and Tom Brady, all now retired. But some of his proteges are still making waves, including San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne. Over his last two games, Bourne has racked up 284 yards on 15 catches. He credits Belichick, his former coach in New England from 2021 to 2023, for instilling the discipline and consistency that continue to shape his game today.

Bourne was at the North Carolina vs. California game, which ended in a 21-18 loss for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels. Despite the defeat, Belichick got to reunite with his former player, and clips of their meeting quickly went viral on social media.

For Bourne, it was a nostalgic moment that took him back to 2021, when he first joined Belichick in New England.

New England Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) takes the field during pregame of an NFL pre-season football game against the Houston Texans, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)After spending the first four seasons with San Francisco, Bourne signed with the New England Patriots as a free agent in 2021. His bond with Belichick continued for three seasons. But that was enough to catalyze Bourne’s NFL career.

As in an interview, the 49ers star shared the lessons he picked up from Belichick, “Just really blue-collar [things]. How to do things the right way. Just being consistent in things. It was a different world for me. I matured fast over there, and it was important for me. Still being myself, but it’s just what you learn, it’s how you grow up. And he did that for me.”

Sadly, the Bourne-Belichick camaraderie did not survive for long after the head coach took a sudden exit from New England in 2023, after coaching for 24 seasons and sealing six Super Bowl titles. 

So, when the Tar Heels visited Cal Colden Bears in Berkeley, Bourne could not miss out on the chance to strike up a conversation with Belichick.

“It was just good seeing him,” Bourne said. “He’s a big part of my journey. The development I had over there was important. He was a big part of it. So coming back [to the 49ers], he is a big part of the reason why I am where I am. Everything happens for a reason. That’s part of the story.”

It’s the same Bourne who defended Belichick after the former Patriots head coach’s controversial portrayal in The Dynasty series. To Bourne, it made his mentor “look bad.” Right now, his praise for Belichick’s positive influence feels timely.

Ever since Belichick stepped into college football, controversy has followed him like a shadow, most recently, behavioral issues have put him in the hot seat.

Whispers around Chapel Hill about Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick’s personal life has become a hot topic in Chapel Hill. During North Carolina’s 34-9 loss to UCF, instead of focusing on game strategy, Belichick was seen interacting with his girlfriend on the sideline during pregame warmups. Many viewed this as inappropriate behavior from the head coach.

Then came the bye week, when instead of making the most of it to woo recruits, Belichick flew off to Nantucket, Mass., with Jordon Hudson, leaving analyst Dan Wolken to serve the head coach a bitter pill to swallow.

“Bill, here’s some free advice: In North Carolina, they don’t care about you enough to put up with all this. You’re not one of them. They merely hired you to do a job. And if you don’t want to do it, rest assured they will find someone else who will,” said the analyst.

The effects of Belichick’s laid-back attitude were bound to ripple through the North Carolina squad. After the Tar Heels suffered a 38-10 loss to Clemson, an anonymous source shared a behind-the-scenes account from the locker room. WRAL, a local TV station in Raleigh, reported that Belichick’s locker room is divided, describing the coaching staff as “disorganized.”

“It’s an unstructured mess. There’s no culture, no organization. It’s a complete disaster,” said the anonymous source. So, did Bill Belichick succeed in his college football experiment? Many believe it to be a big fail. But so what? 

The head coach keeps doing his job. Belichick keeps trying to shut down the blame. “We’ve shown a lot of improvement. You know, we made a lot of improvements. I think that’s exciting for all of us to see. I don’t know what kind of perspective some of those people have that are saying that,” came the 6x Super Bowl winning coach’s assurance.”

Are we buying into a dream, or is North Carolina truly on the upswing?