When North Carolina made the bold move to hire Bill Belichick, the message was clear: this was about more than just winning games-it was about transforming the program. Belichick’s name alone carries weight that few in football history can match.
Eight Super Bowl rings, six as a head coach, and a legacy of excellence that spans decades. The assumption?
That elite coaches, much like elite players, would line up for a chance to work with the GOAT.
It’s a familiar narrative. We’ve seen it before with Nick Saban, who, in his own right, is college football royalty.
Saban built a coaching tree that stretches across the sport. His former assistants now lead programs across the country-many of them in this year’s playoff field.
Working under Saban became a career accelerator, a proven path to success and big paydays.
But here’s where the story takes a turn.
Saban recently opened up about why he chose to step away from the game. In candid interviews, he made it clear: it wasn’t NIL or the transfer portal that pushed him out.
It was staffing. More specifically, his growing difficulty in attracting the kind of elite assistants he knew were necessary to maintain Alabama’s standard.
“My age started to become a little bit of an issue,” Saban said. “People wanted assurances that I would be here for three years, five years, whatever, and it got harder and harder for me…”
Think about that. Even Nick Saban-still competing at the highest level, still winning, still recruiting-was running into walls when it came to building a top-tier staff. And that’s despite a resume that includes national titles, Heisman winners, and a reputation for developing both players and coaches.
Now let’s bring it back to Belichick.
UNC went all-in on Belichick not just for what he could bring to the sidelines, but for who he could bring with him. The expectation was that his arrival would usher in a new era of professionalism and elite football culture in Chapel Hill. But when you look at the staff assembled in Year One, it’s hard not to ask: where are the heavy hitters?
Here’s a snapshot of Belichick’s staff last season:
- General Manager: Mike Lombardi - longtime personal friend
- Defensive Coordinator: Steve Belichick - his son
- Defensive Backs: Brian Belichick - another son
- Offensive Coordinator: Freddie Kitchens - a holdover from Mack Brown’s staff
- Quarterbacks Coach: Matt Lombardi - Mike’s son
- Offensive Line Coach: Will Friend - a friend of Kitchens
That’s a lot of familiar faces. And while familiarity isn’t inherently a problem, it becomes one when it replaces merit-based hiring.
UNC committed over $16 million to football staffing, with the belief that Belichick would attract top-tier coaching talent. Instead, they’re spending SEC-level money on a staff that, frankly, doesn’t reflect that investment.
This isn’t about whether these coaches are capable. It’s about whether they’re the best available.
And right now, it looks like UNC is filling key roles with friends, family, and former players stepping into responsibilities they haven’t held before. That might work at a smaller program.
It’s not what UNC envisioned when they handed the keys to Belichick.
And let’s be clear: this isn’t just about optics. The results on the field back it up.
UNC finished 4-8 this year, despite playing one of the softest Power 4 schedules in the country. The offense ranked 109th in FEI.
The defense? 100th.
Those numbers don’t lie.
There’s also the matter of inaction. The season ended a month ago.
The offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator positions are still vacant. Meanwhile, programs across the country have been scooping up top assistants and making moves to upgrade their staffs.
Belichick and Lombardi? They’ve mostly stood pat.
If the plan was to modernize UNC football and bring a professional-grade operation to Chapel Hill, this isn’t it. Right now, it looks more like a family-run business than a high-performance football machine. And that’s a problem.
There’s still time to course-correct. But if UNC wants to compete at the level its spending suggests, it’s going to take more than a legendary name on the door. It’s going to take a staff that reflects that ambition-one built not on familiarity, but on elite coaching talent ready to take this program where it’s never been before.