Nobody thought Bill Belichick’s exit from New England would be an end to his coaching career in the NFL. The legendary head coach who won six Super Bowls (as an HC) found no takers for his services in 2024. And here we are! A new year, a new beginning for Coach Belichick. From the glamor of the big league to the daily grind of the Tar Heels! When someone with an image like Belichick arrives to coach an underfunded and struggling CFB team, they’re expected to turn heads. But not everyone is cut out for college-level coaching. With the way things are shaping up at North Carolina since Belichick’s hiring, maybe the ACC has a shot at being able to establish itself as a good conference.

The question is, will Belichick be able to transition into his new role without wrinkles? The biggest advantage the Tar Heels will get from Bill Belichick leading the front is an uptick in their brand value. It’s like what Deion Sanders did for Colorado. The Buffaloes did not perform exceptionally well, but they got all the attention in a weak Big 12 conference. Belichick has done the same at Chapel Hill.

There are still months to go until UNC lines up on the scrimmage line for the first time this season. And Belichick’s impact has led to the Tar Heels selling out season tickets for this year. Colin Cowherd, however, thinks that Belichick will survive his college football career only because he’s raking up these successes in a consistently weak ACC. “I think the one thing that saves Belichick is [that] the ACC is terrible,” he said on the May 21 episode of ‘The Herd With Colin Cowherd’ show. Cowherd also noted that if the HC had gone to the SEC or Big 10, he’d “get rolled.”

Cowherd then looked at Joel Klatt’s preseason top-15 teams. Only one ACC program makes it into the list: Clemson. Easily one of the strongest in the conference this year, they have a strong returning production and a well-seated coach in Dabo Swinney. What this tells us about UNC is that Belichick is yet to impress as a recruiter, which is a role he’ll have to play quite frequently.

Even BYU and Illinois managed to find a place on this list. “Belichick’s a little grumpy. Belichick, his energy is meh. Belichick’s a so-so recruiter, and his messaging, let’s be honest, [is] kind of complex.” Cowherd said. But on the money-making front? Bill Belichick gets an A+.

Right now, the ACC’s biggest gift is Bill Belichick. He’s bringing in the attention and the money required for the conference to emerge as a successful one. The Tar Heels are known for their basketball. Football is a whole different story. ACC recorded a 1-9 tally in their postseason schedule, and that one victory was Syracuse.

Belichick’s arrival has sold 20,000 tickets ahead of the season. Fans apparently had no problem paying the hike of 25% as well while buying the tickets. UNC has more primetime games this season, and AD Bubba Cunningham expects more sponsorships to come through. And not to mention, the school is always under the media’s glare, thanks to Belichick’s relationship with Jordan Hudson.

His predecessor, Mack Brown, reveals that the Tar Heels gave their all for the program’s success under the new HC, including a major sacrifice.

UNC allowing academic standards to drop for Bill Belichick’s success

Bill Belichick arrived at Chapel Hill with a lot of fanfare. The departure of Mack Brown, however, was not. Brown told his team he was “ready to walk away” from UNC after their blowout loss to James Madison in 2024. But he reportedly changed his mind after the Tar Heels saw a three-game winning streak midseason. The top brass, however, had already set the wheels in motion. ESPN says that Cunningham fired Brown over the phone, a day after the latter indicated that he was not retiring.

And yet, Brown has high hopes for Belichick. He told SiriusXM College Sports Radio, “As far as North Carolina and Bill Belichick now, he’s arguably the best coach ever.” “They’ve committed money to it, they’ve helped him with academics. They’ve lowered those standards some. So there’s absolutely no reason they shouldn’t be successful,” he added. That’s how desperate the situation is at Chapel Hill. The administration is allowing an academic blow for the success of Bill Belichick’s debut. Under Brown, the Tar Heels remained brutally underfunded, which is guaranteed to change under Belichick.

Will Belichick’s NFL guns be of much use to the veteran coach’s 1 CFB season? He’s putting UNC back on the map, for sure. Belichick is the ACC’s biggest bet to grow into a strong conference, which once stood to lose its most formidable program – Clemson. Both the conference and UNC management have a lot riding on Belichick’s shoulders. How will his first year eventually turn out?