Bill Belichick’s next head coach job will be at the University of North Carolina, and it probably won’t take long for him to establish a new culture in Chapel Hill.
UNC officially announced Belichick’s hiring on Wednesday. He has a five-year contract and will be tasked with improving a program that went 6-6 last season and hasn’t won a bowl game since 2019.
The legendary NFL coach has won a record eight Super Bowl titles, six of which happened when he was the head coach of the New England Patriots from 2000 through 2023.
His best player from those Patriots dynasty teams was quarterback Tom Brady, who reacted to Wednesday’s news with a post to his Instagram story.
Brady wrote, “Congrats coach”, followed by, “The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing,” which, of course, is a reference to the Patriot Way slogan used for many years in New England.
Tom Brady reacts to Bill Belichick becoming North Carolina’s next head coach:
“Congrats Coach
The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing 💯”
(IG: @tombrady) pic.twitter.com/Iyv0i2D9aP
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 12, 2024
The definition of the Patriot Way varies a bit depending on who you ask, but some of the basic principles included accountability, doing your job, professionalism, good preparation and situational awareness, among other things.
The best Patriots teams embodied those qualities, and if Belichick can instill a similar culture with the Tar Heels, UNC could surprise some people in the ACC next season. They don’t have a tough 2025 schedule, which definitely helps.
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