Bill Belichick explains why UNC recruiting is ‘very similar’ to NFL: ‘It’s exciting’
Bill Belichick wasted no time recruiting new players to his UNC Tar Heels team before his first season.
In fact, the biggest question surrounding Belichick’s surprising leap into college football has been his adjustment to recruiting in this NIL era.
Well, he’s already brought a four-star team to Chapel Hill in quarterback Bryce Baker, who was introduced at the Tar Heels’ basketball game Saturday alongside Belichick.
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New North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick addresses the crowd at the Dean Smith Center during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game between La Salle and North Carolina in Chapel Hill, NC, Saturday, December 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
During his weekly appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick discussed recruiting and the process of being drafted, which he called an “interesting process” but something he’s seen before.
“[UNC GM] “Mike Lombardi and I were still talking about it — it’s very similar to what we went through with the post-draft process, and at the beginning of the free agency process it was all rolled into one thing with the transfer window,” Belichick explained.
“It’s fun to get the team together.”
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Belichick added that “a number of players” will be coming to Chapel Hill this week as the transfer window opens up to move programs around the country. So, he, Lombardi and the rest of the program are moving quickly to make sure they use this time to put together the right time for 2025.
But, when McAfee asked if Belichick was selling this new program to these players, the famous coach said it was a little of both.
North Carolina Tar Heels Head Coach Bill Belichick meets with Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham during a press conference on December 12, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
“We sell the program, but to be honest, Pat, a lot of players and agents come to us saying, ‘We want to be part of the program. Is there a place for us? Can you take this player, who will be part of the program. player?’ and so on,” Belichick explained. “A lot of agents also represent players in the transfer portal that we’ve had in the National Football League. So, a lot of those relationships carry over into college football.”
Belichick is still assembling his coaching staff and evaluating his current roster. It’s certainly a process and one that needs to be studied in an instant, especially considering other programs whose coaches got off to a good start at UNC when Belichick came in.
But the 72-year-old already has a top quarterback prospect and key roster pieces on the way.
North Carolina Tar Heels new coach Bill Belichick at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Photos by Jim Dedmon-Imagn)
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UNC has seven three-star players as commitments for the 2025 season, according to Rivals, and Baker is verbally committed.
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