The best coach in the history of American football, of the NFL championship, has decided to coach in the university championship. The Guardian tries to understand how this is possible
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – DECEMBER 17: Head coach Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs hug after Kansas City’s 27-17 win at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP
Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
Bill Belichick is the best coach in the history of American football in the United States, the best in the NFL championship. He won six Super Bowls with Tom Brady’s New England Patriots. A year after leaving them has decided that he will go to coach in the university championship: he will be the head coach of North Carolina. Which isn’t the best of college football programs. It’s not Alabama, Texas or Ohio State. North Carolina is a second-tier program in a second-tier conference. It’s like, having made all the distinctions and proportions, Carlo Ancelotti or Pep Guardiola gave up great football and went to coach in Serie B, for example.
Obviously, American college sport is a phenomenon that has no equal: it is almost more followed than professional sport. It moves an industry. But Belichick’s case is rare, indeed never seen before. In his 49-year career he has never worked outside the NFL. He will become the first Super Bowl-winning coach to step down to the college level without any college experience.
The Guardian points out that “this is not the classic case of an out-of-work coach sending a message to NFL owners: hey, I’m ready to work. Belichick’s interest in the college game is sincere. He had several talks with North Carolina and finally closed the deal. The question is: why?”.
The Guardian dwells on the possible reasons. There are also interesting contextual reasons, which in Italy we can understand up to a certain point. Belichick is a character who to define cumbersome is an understatement. It’s everywhere. Belichick has seven different media roles. At one point, two of his shows aired at the same time. And it’s not like the other big teams were lining up to get him. But if he wanted he could go almost anywhere. But at 73, he would have been the oldest coach in league history. “With no signs of offers coming from the league, Belichick chose to jump at the first concrete offer, saving himself the humiliation of losing another round of assignments and another year as coach.”
“There is another problem for NFL teams: Belichick isn’t just any coach. Wherever he went, he would need full autonomy over the roster, the salary cap and the draft”, which is a nightmare for the owners.” Belichick in New England “was the all-seeing, all-encompassing emperor. He managed the main office, the technical staff and approved all decisions.” In college, however, Belichick will have carte blanche. “The head coach remains all-powerful in college football, even as he approaches a pro model.” He does it all, he acts as CEO, general manager, head coach and play-caller. The very big colleges wouldn’t even let him. North Carolina yes.
The context, we were saying. College sports in the United States are entering a new era. Players now get paid. There’s even a salary cap. A billion-dollar machine has been set in motion. They are professionals. “In the old world – writes the Guardian – where Belichick would have had to throw 16-18 year old players to play for him, a college transfer would have made little sense. But in an era where players are paid and recruiting has changed,” no one cares that he is over 70. “It might even be an advantage.”
With Belichick, North Carolina immediately became one of the most relevant football brands in the country. “In the attention economy, this can tip the scales in fundraising and recruiting battles. Which player with the goal of entering the NFL would give up working with the greatest NFL coach of the modern era?”.
