Bill Belichick hired: Legendary coach taking UNC football job

This article has been updated with new information

The coach with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history is coming to college football.

Bill Belichick has agreed to a deal to become the next North Carolina football coach, the school announced Wednesday night.

Belichick confirmed earlier this week that he spoke recently with the North Carolina about its vacant head coaching position. The former New England Patriots coach has been making weekly media appearances with ESPN, "The Pat McAfee Show" and "Inside the NFL," among other ventures since the Patriots elected to end their 24-year partnership with him last January.

Belichick, 72, has 333 career wins, nine Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins over 29 seasons as an NFL head coach, but he has never coached at the collegiate level. His father, Steve Belichick, spent three seasons working as an assistant coach at North Carolina before a 33-year stint working as an assistant coach and scout at Navy.

Bill Belichick's willingness to replace Mack Brown at UNC and bypass any NFL coach openings this offseason, is suddenly the biggest storyline during this year's college football coaching carousel.

Here are the latest updates on the coaching search and the intriguing developments surrounding Belichick's potential future in college football:

Bill Belichick hired as UNC football coach

North Carolina made the news official Wednesday night: Bill Belichick will be the next head coach of the Tar Heels.

"We know that college athletics is changing, and those changes require new and innovative thinking. Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can evolve, compete and win — today and in the future," UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement.

Bill Belichick UNC contract

Financial details were not revealed, but UNC said in its press release that Belichick had agreed to a five-year deal "pending approval by the University's Board of Trustees and Board of Governors."

UNC contract approval could come soon

According to WRAL sports reporter Pat Welter, the University of North Carolina Board of Trustees could sign off on Belichick's contract as early as 9:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Bill Belichick, UNC football finalizing deal

It appears Wednesday's saga of conflicting reports will have a happy ending for North Carolina football fans. Belichick, the coach with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history, is set to become a college coach for the first time in his career.

Bill Belichick, UNC contract includes NIL perks

North Carolina football and Bill Belichick continue to iron out the details late Wednesday afternoon, and the current holding pattern appears to involve some details and conditions that didn't necessarily exist a few years ago. This nugget from USA Today's Matt Hayes about UNC's potential NIL package in the midst of negotiations with Belichick is likely a big part of that discussion.

The appeal of hiring Belichick revolves around his experience in an NFL environment at a moment in time when college football increasingly conducts business like its professional counterpart. But Belichick is used to operating under a salary cap, which won't exist in college sports even if revenue sharing is introduced as early as next season. For this partnership to work, Belichick and UNC would be best served going into this on a level playing field with everyone else.

UNC believes Bill Belichick deal is 'close'

The entire football world is paying attention to these negotiations between Belichick and North Carolina. The longer this goes on, the more likely it would seem for the deal to fall through.

Bill Belichick: Previous updates, rumors on UNC coaching search

ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon that "the ball is in Belichick's court" and a resolution should come in the near future with North Carolina officials ready to make him their hire. The potential role of Belichick's son, current Washington defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick, as well as North Carolina's NIL resources, Belichick's salary and resources for the staff and reporting structure remain issues, according to ESPN.

Not so fast. Maybe there isn't an emergency board of trustees meeting just yet. What has already been a convoluted coaching search full of leaks seems to have encountered another twist. Belichick and North Carolina have not reached a deal just yet.

It appears UNC and Bill Belichick could be closing in on an agreement, as of Wednesday afternoon. Multiple reports out of North Carolina indicate Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the next UNC football coach, and that the university's Board of Trustees have called an emergency meeting to approve the contract. Board approval, according to both WRAL.com and the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a necessary step in order for the hire to become official.

Though other names have surfaced since the Tar Heels let go of Mack Brown, Belichick has become the focus of the coaching search. What's currently happening behind the scenes suggests the search should be over soon.

The latest national reports suggest that Belichick is considering an offer to become North Carolina's next football coach, but The Athletic, ESPN and the Raleigh News and Observer have each reported in previous stories that a power struggle going on within North Carolina is holding up the process to make Belichick the next Tar Heels' football coach. ESPN reported that UNC Board of Trustees chair John P. Preyer has been a key Belichick advocate. Preyer said publicly he did not like how Brown's firing was handled by North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham.

Other issues standing in the way of Belichick becoming UNC's coach include the potential role of his son Stephen Belichick, UNC's NIL resources, Belichick's salary and resources for the staff, according to ESPN. Stephen Belichick is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.

Tulane's Jon Sumrall was also tied to the UNC job, but took his name out of the running Monday when he announced he would be staying with the Green Wave. UNC has also spoken to Army's Jeff Monken about the opening, as well as Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and former Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers head coach Steve Wilks, according to ESPN. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also said UNC approached to discuss the job opening shortly after Brown's dismissal was announced last month.

CFP and Belichick talk: College Football Playoff preview, Bill Belichick and North Carolina lead College Football Fix

If things fall through with Belichick, there will be a lot of pressure on UNC to hire a new coach quickly.

Belichick, during his weekly appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday did not discuss specifics about his conversations with North Carolina. But he did lay out a vision for how a college football program would look under his leadership.

"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL," Belichick said. "It would be a professional program – training, nutrition, scheme, coaching techniques ‒ that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was at the end of their college career or their pro career."

"But it would be geared towards developing the players, time management, discipline, structure, and all that. There would be life skills regardless of whether they were in the NFL or somewhere in business. I feel very confident I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players ... to have the opportunity to compete in the NFL ."

How many Super Bowls does Bill Belichick have?

Bill Belichick won an NFL-record six Super Bowls over 24 seasons as the New England Patriots coach, including two different stretches in which he won the Super Bowl three times in four years. Belichick made nine Super Bowl appearances overall with the Patriots.

• Super Bowl XXXVI (Feb. 3, 2002): Beat St. Louis Rams, 20-17

• Super Bowl XXXVIII (Feb. 1, 2004): Beat Carolina Panthers, 32-29

• Super Bowl XXXIX (Feb. 6, 2005): Beat Philadelphia Eagles, 24-21

• Super Bowl XLII (Feb. 3, 2008): Lost to New York Giants, 17-14

• Super Bowl XLVI (Feb. 5, 2012): Lost to New York Giants, 21-17

• Super Bowl XLIX (Feb. 1, 2015): Beat Seattle Seahawks, 28-24

• Super Bowl LI (Feb. 5, 2017): Beat Atlanta Falcons, 34-28

• Super Bowl LII (Feb. 4, 2018): Lost to Philadelphia Eagles, 41-33

• Super Bowl LIII (Feb. 3, 2019): Beat Los Angeles Rams, 13-3

Bill Belichick coaching record

Belichick began his head coaching career with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 after rising up the ranks as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants under former coach Bill Parcells. Belichick was fired by the Browns in 1995 and rejoined Parcells as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots and New York Jets. He was briefly named the Jets' head coach ahead of the 2000 season but resigned from the job at what was supposed to be his introductory press conference and soon became the Patriots' head coach through the 2023 season.

Here's a look at Belichick's record as an NFL coach:

• 29 seasons (24 with New England Patriots, 5 with Cleveland Browns)

• 333-178 career record (including playoffs)

• 9 Super Bowl appearances (all with New England)

• 6 Super Bowl championships

• 19 playoff appearances

Where did Bill Belichick go to college?

Belichick graduated in 1973 from Wesleyan College in Middletown, Connecticut, where he played tight end and offensive line for the football team. He also lettered in squash and lacrosse as a college athlete. He was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Wesleyan College athletics hall of fame.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Belichick hired by UNC: Updates, latest news