Bill Belichick came to Chapel Hill with NFL polish and a Super Bowl resume, but college football quickly handed him a sharper lesson. That became clear in the way TarHeel247’s Andrew Jones described UNC’s early struggles, saying the staff had to step back, “look in the mirror,” and learn.

“I’ve been told by multiple people in the program, people who would know, that Belichick fully recognized that they didn’t get it when they got there. They had to go through what they went through in order to realize, ‘Okay, we need to learn. We need to kind of look in the mirror, take a step back, and reevaluate some things.’ And they’ve done that,” Jones stated on the Fast Lane with Ed Lane podcast.

Jones’ point was simple, and that’s the fact that college football runs on recruiting windows, transfer portal deadlines, and NIL deals, while the NFL runs on contracts and a fixed draft order. That is the language Belichick is still learning to speak. The veteran coach added Bobby Petrino and invested heavily in UNC’s roster, but the schedule still leaves little room for comfort.

“I think the program is in significantly better shape right now than it was this time of year ago,” Jones added. “That doesn’t mean they’re going to win more games. They got a tough schedule. I’m not sure they have enough talent to win a lot of games. But I do think that he now knows what he’s in. He understands the college game. He understands the college drumbeat. He understands the college language.”

Compared to 2025, Belichick has talents like Greg Smith, Leroy Jackson, Jordan Shipp, Demon June, Jordan Hall, and more. But can UNC beat teams like Notre Dame, Clemson, TCU, Duke, and Miami? Even with better pieces around him, UNC still looks built for a fight, not a smooth turnaround.

“He [Bill Belichick] has tried to use the magic of yesteryear, and it simply hasn’t worked,” said ESPN analyst Paul Finebaum on Get Up this month. “I’ll break it to everyone who is curious how many games they’re going to win this year. Their over-and-under in Vegas is 4.5.”

That would put UNC in the bottom tier of the ACC, with little room to sneak into the upper half. UNC definitely built the third-ranked recruiting class in the ACC via On3, but they missed many top-tier talents to avoid tough battles with conference rivals like Miami and Clemson. He fished from the wrong pool, going against middle-tier programs. Critics say the staff is still adjusting to how college football really works.

“This counterintuitive concept that North Carolina’s coaching staff embodied in the NFL does not apply here. They literally just don’t know what they’re doing,” said Steven Godfrey.

Things may not be working for Bill Belichick, but despite that, because of his over $20M buyout, his job might just be safe in Chapel Hill for the time being. On the other hand, Finebaum believes Belichick should retire before going through another embarrassing campaign. “Five wins would be considered a success, and that would mean another embarrassment; he won’t get fired. But he should seriously consider retirement,” added Finebaum.

His move to Chapel Hill made sense at the time, but the real test was always going to be how that experience translated once the games started.

Why did Bill Belichick take the UNC job?

When Bill Belichick joined the Tar Heels, UNC had one reason for bringing him in. The program wanted his experience of a two-decade successful journey with the Patriots, and they wanted him to make structural improvements to the roster. UNC wanted a coach who had won it at the highest level. But Belichick took the job after the NFL door stayed shut.

“He [Bill Belichick] only took this job because he was bitter that he couldn’t get an NFL job,” said Paul Finebaum on Get Up.

However, considering his NFL success, UNC’s $50M contract made sense. His debut performance didn’t justify that paycheck, but UNC seems to have a lot of trust in the veteran head coach. However, Finebaum echoes the sentiment, citing that disappointment is inevitable despite Belichick’s resume.

“No one’s taking away his six Super Bowls, but ending like he is going to end is really embarrassing and sad and, in many ways, pathetic,” said Finebaum. “Because this didn’t have to happen.”

Let’s see, does the UNC head coach prove everyone wrong or not? Or does he take Finebaum’s suggestion before the conclusion of the 2026 season?