UNC under Bill Belichick looks exactly like every analyst predicted before the season started. The Tar Heels stand with a 2-2 record with a devastating 14-28 loss against TCU, two wins against FCS opponents, and again a 9-34 demolition by UCF. Now, they’re all set to face yet another limping program. Dabo Swinney’s Clemson entered the season at No. 4 and now stands with a 1-3 record. But the question is, does Belichick’s performance this year represent how he’d perform in college football for the years to come? Well, no.

Belichick had to start entirely from scratch in UNC. He demolished what was and started building it from the ground up, just like he does with his team. The legendary coach brought in a staggering number of players, totalling 70. Out of those 70, 40 were transfers and 30 were freshmen. He basically overhauled the entire roster. But on College Gameday this week, he revealed that he didn’t have any other choice.

“We missed on a couple of recruiting classes,” Belichick said bluntly, “only have a handful of players starting from them,” dropping a bombshell that was, or at least felt like it was a shot at the predecessor Mack Brown. Belichick basically said Brown had left the cupboard empty for him, and he did not have anything to build on. And honestly, it is really hard to argue with that logic. When you have to bring 70 faces just to make the field a bit competitive, it speaks volumes for the team that was left before.

Moreover, that’s not just Belichick’s point of view. Even Paul Finebaum was on record saying that Mack Brown left the cupboard empty for Bill Belichick, and that’s saying something because Mack Brown is probably Finebaum’s closest friend. That said, though, UNC still retained key players like linebacker Amare Campbell and offensive linemen Austin Blaske and Aidan Banfield. These guys were there before Belichick, and they did try to enter the transfer portal after he left, but stayed back after they got to know Belichick would be taking over.

These are the guys that represent the “handful” that Bill Belichick referenced. But all in all, the reality is that this 2-2 start does not represent his coaching abilities. It’s just a reflection of the team he walked into. When you’re forced to bring 70 players just to make the roster limits, there would obviously be a huge lack of chemistry, cohesion, and synergy among them. The answer to that is the fanbase should be patient and let Belichick do his thing. If his NFL days are any indication, he’s the best to ever do it, and it will show in Chapel Hill, too.

A mutual admiration society

Bill Belichick and Nick Saban have shared one of football’s most legendary coaching relationships, spanning over three decades, and their College GameDay exchange showcased exactly why. When Kirk Herbstreit asked Belichick about his time with Saban in Cleveland, the UNC coach didn’t hold back. “I learned an awful lot from coach Saban,” Belichick said. “We came from different defensive systems, and we merged them in Cleveland. I learned a lot from him about man-to-man coverage, which we didn’t play a lot of with New York [Giants], and the 4-3 defense, which he played at Michigan State and Toledo”. 

Belichick then delivered the ultimate compliment: “He’s the best that’s ever done it, and it was a real honor for me to be with him for those four years and have our friendship and relationship be almost lifelong in this career”.Saban, never one to let sentimentality go unchecked, fired back with a perfectly timed reality check. “I never thought in all the time we’ve been friends that I’d ever say you’re full of shit,” Saban said with a grin, drawing roars from the Tuscaloosa crowd.

 “But I learned a lot more from you than you ever learned from me”. Belichick immediately protested—”That’s not true! That’s simply not true!”—but Saban’s point was backed by history. Their four years together in Cleveland from 1991-1994 produced the NFL’s best scoring defense in 1994, with Saban serving as defensive coordinator under Belichick’s leadership. Belichick had hired Saban as his first coaching staff addition after leaving the Giants, recognizing his defensive genius.