When UNC hired Bill Belichick, folks thought they were getting just one. Turns out, they bought the whole dynasty package. At first, it sounded like a fever dream—Bill Belichick, the hoodie-wearing godfather of NFL defense, coaching in the ACC? But that wasn’t even the wildest part. A few weeks later, the Tar Heels had three Belichicks wearing Carolina blue: Bill, Steve, and Brian. You could almost hear the locker room whisper, “Yo, is that the actual Belichick mafia on our sideline?”

Let’s not play like Steve Belichick hasn’t been earning his stripes. He’s not just hanging around daddy for sideline clout. The former Patriot defense coach turned the entire Washington defense around in one damn season in 2024—jumping from 99th nationally to 26th. Not only that, the Huskies were slicing up quarterbacks like Thanksgiving turkey: 5th in passing yards allowed, 1st in yards per attempt, and 2nd in completion percentage given up. That’s real defensive wizardry. Now, he’s on a mission to resurrect a UNC defense that was letting teams eat for free last year.

If you watched UNC in 2024, you know their defense was straight-up haunted. 28.1 points per game allowed. 375.8 yards surrendered per outing. Secondary looked like they were playing with blindfolds—just two picks in the first half of the season. When it rained, it poured—they gave up 41.5 points per game in losses. That defense didn’t just bend; it flat-out folded. So when Bill pulled up to Chapel Hill, first call he made? Steve. Then Brian. Then former Pats linebacker Jamie Collins. It was go-time.

And here’s where it gets fun. Steve and Brian Belichick aren’t just doing dad a solid. These two got real chemistry—ten years cooking gameplans together in Foxborough. Steve brought the fire, Brian the fine-tuned details. On August 6, Steve finally opened up about working with his little brother again. “Both my brother and my dad have a big influence on me,” he said. “Specifically, to my brother—you know, I couldn’t be happier that he’s here. He stayed in New England last year, and I left. But it was a tough year not being with him, not being with my dad. Definitely happy to work with my brother. We see a lot of stuff the same. Grew up kind of the same way, with the same structure and development in terms of our coaching and how we see the game. So it’s great to work with a person like that.”

That synergy isn’t for show either. Steve’s got the linebacker corps locked in, while Brian’s dialing in the DBs with that Patriots polish. It’s family business, literally. And if you’re wondering how UNC convinced three Belichicks to roll into the ACC together? Yeah, that check had a few too many zeroes to ignore.

UNC was terrible at home last season. Letting 425 yards fly at Kenan Stadium? That’s just criminal. But with Steve calling the shots and Brian fine-tuning the backend, expect that place to turn into a defensive war zone this fall. They’ve already brought a new edge to practice, and early reports say the DBs actually look like they know what zone coverage means now. Imagine that.

Steve Belichick didn’t see the UNC job coming

As for how the whole move went down? Steve was just as stunned as the rest of us. Speaking to the media last week, he said flat-out: “No, I didn’t see it coming.” And then joked, “I take all the credit for him being in college. That’s all me.”

That’s the thing about Bill Belichick—you never know what he’s gonna pull. After nearly 50 years in the NFL and six Super Bowl rings, the man takes a 5-year, $50 million deal from a college team that just gave up 28 points a game? Like Steve said, “It was definitely a little interesting when that happened. But he just loves to coach football.” And if there’s anything more Belichick than that, we haven’t seen it.

UNC clearly isn’t half-stepping. Their whole staff looks like an NFL reunion tour. Freddie Kitchens? Mike Priefer? Both ex-NFL coordinators. Throw in a few former players as assistants, and you’ve basically built an NFL team in disguise.

Now, Steve’s mission is locked in. Fix a defense that got cooked last season, develop NFL-ready players, and maybe even flip some of those Ls into Ws. Brian’s already rebuilding the secondary room brick by brick. And Bill? Well, he’s in his bag, drawing up coverages like it’s still Super Bowl week. Come September 1, when TCU comes knocking in prime time, the world’s gonna see just how serious this Belichick takeover really is. And if it works? The Tar Heels might just go from punchline to powerhouse in one season flat.