Bill Belichick Confirms Talks with UNC, Bruce Arians Weighs In
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has continued to make headlines despite not coaching in the NFL. During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick confirmed he had talks with the University of North Carolina Tar Heels about their head coaching vacancy. While it’s unclear if Belichick will become the next coach at UNC, another former NFL coach, Bruce Arians, has weighed in on the situation.
Arians, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory in 2021, expressed surprise that Belichick would be interested in coaching at the collegiate level. “I’m very, very surprised,” Arians said during a recent appearance on the “Scoop City” podcast. “I thought for sure he’d wait for the NFL hiring process to play out.”
Belichick has been a staple on ESPN’s “ManningCast” and the CW’s “Inside the NFL” this season, leading many to believe he wouldn’t be interested in returning to the sidelines. However, Arians warned Belichick that coaching college players could be a challenging experience, especially with the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal.
“Dealing with rookies making money, but now freshmen making money? It’s gotta be ridiculous trying to coach those guys,” Arians said. He added, “If I’m gonna give Bill one bit of advice, you better bring a lot of patience with you.”
Arians himself began his coaching career at the college level and knows firsthand the challenges of working with young players. Belichick, 72, has yet to reveal his plans, but he has shared some of his ideas about what he would look for in a college program. “If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, and techniques that would transfer to the NFL.”