USA TODAY Sports writer Matt Hayes believes Bill Belichick’s potential departure from North Carolina after one season isn’t a setback for the Tar Heels. It’s a reset for the program And, he argues, it benefits everyone involved.
Belichick continues to deflect questions about the New York Giants’ job opening, sticking to his line that he’s “focused on Wake Forest.” But to Hayes, the message behind the coach’s careful phrasing is unmistakable. Belichick’s first love is the NFL, and an exit door may be opening.
“If that doesn’t sound like an invitation for the Giants to come rescue him from college purgatory, I don’t know what is,” Hayes wrote.
Hayes contends that the UNC experiment was flawed from the start. Belichick arrived with a six-Super Bowl resume, but has little interest in building a long-term college program. The chancellor-driven hire bypassed athletic director Bubba Cunningham, and the program’s roster was torn down and rebuilt through the transfer portal, leaving a group that struggled in Year 1.
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Meanwhile, general manager Michael Lombardi, who was Belichick’s hand-picked partner, is already apologizing to boosters last month in an email that blamed the previous regime’s recruiting missteps. Hayes notes that sort of damage control rarely happens less than a year into a new era unless concerns are mounting.
Belichick should return to the NFL and chase Don Shula’s all-time wins record. UNC would be freed from the weight of an expensive and misaligned marriage. They can pursue a coach committed to college football’s demanding modern landscape.
Hayes points to names like Ole Miss' offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. Or Indiana play-caller Mike Shanahan as examples of younger coaches who embrace NIL, roster management and portal evaluations.
“Real, profound change is right there for North Carolina,” Hayes wrote. “All the Tar Heels need is someone from the NFL to take Belichick off their hands.”
In his view, Belichick leaving Chapel Hill wouldn’t signal failure, but rather give UNC a chance to start fresh with a coach built for the college game.
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