by One of the many questions surrounding Bill Belichick becoming head football coach at North Carolina is how a 72-year-old former NFL coach, who has never had to recruit high school and college players before, would go about bringing talent to Chapel Hill let it come.
That might not be a problem if players want to join Belichick at UNC.
Belichick addressed this topic during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” when asked what his sales pitch to players will be.
“We have spoken to a number of players and more are coming in this week as part of the [transfer] portal. That closes on Sunday,” Belichick explained. ‘This week boys come by almost every day. I still talk to some high school kids who signed.”
“We’ve spoken to a number of players and guys are coming in every day this week.
We sell the program, but a lot of players and agents come to us and say we want to be part of the program” ~ Coach Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/OI5Bcy9vji
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 16, 2024
One of those players is quarterback Bryce Baker, who reaffirmed his commitment to the Tar Heels on Saturday. Rivals ranks Baker as the No. 7 QB nationally and the No. 3 prospect in North Carolina at his position. He was the top-ranked player in UNC’s 2025 recruiting class, so keeping him involved was a big win for Belichick.
“The majority of them are transfer players in the portal and that portal is going to expand a little bit as the College Football Playoffs continue and teams are eliminated,” Belichick added. “We sell the program, but honestly we have a lot of players and agents come to us and say, ‘We want to be part of the program’, ‘Is there a place for us’, would you take this? player, that player , and so forth.”
Many of the agents representing players in the transfer portal have also dealt with Belichick and his staff in the NFL, so relationships have been built before.
Belichick’s comments confirm what many saw as reasons why he might find college football attractive and why he might not be at a disadvantage in recruiting. The transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) have changed the way college programs build rosters and pursue players. Having connections in talent-rich regions and energetically pursuing recruits are still important. But players now approach high-profile coaches as often as, if not more than, coaches in their homes.
Deion Sanders’ success in Colorado has shown how a program can now be rebuilt. Players want to be part of what he does. As Belichick confirmed, it has similarities to the way draft prospects and free agents are sought in the NFL.
“We’re spending money, not as much as we’ve spent in the NFL, but throwing some money around,” Belichick said. “I like to see the players get compensated for the settlement they enter into. It’s a new landscape in college football, but honestly it’s not that different… this part of the process isn’t much different from what we’ve been through.” with in the NFL.”
North Carolina certainly hopes that Belichick’s achievements in player development and winning are similar to what he accomplished with the New England Patriots.
