Bill Belichick is arguably the most accomplished NFL football coach on the planet with six Super Bowl titles under his belt. However, it’s looking like he won’t be winning any championships in his debut season at the college level.
Hosting TCU in a primetime matchup on Labor Day, all eyes were on North Carolina as Belichick made his debut with the Tar Heels after becoming the team’s head coach back in January.
However, it’s safe to say that his collegiate coaching debut did not go the way he or North Carolina had hoped it would.
Belichick Joins the College Coaching Ranks
While Belichick is one of the most legendary coaches in the sport, all of his experience has come at the professional level. Belichick began his coaching career with the Baltimore Colts as a special assistant back in 1975 and rose through the ranks until he found himself as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 1991 and eventually the New England Patriots in 1996.
During his time with the Patriots, which lasted nearly three decades, Belichick helped lead the team to six Super Bowl titles – twice as many titles as the second-place coach, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, has won throughout his coaching career.
After missing the playoffs three out of four seasons, however, the Patriots decided to go in a new direction, parting ways with Belichick following the 2023 season.
Belichick did not find another head coaching job in the NFL for the 2024 season, spending the season as an analyst instead, but he opted to try his hand at coaching college football, accepting the head coaching position with the North Carolina Tar Heels back in January.
Disastrous Debut
Given Belichick’s past success, there was a lot of hype for Belichick’s debut on Monday night. Unfortunately, it went about as poorly as possible for him and his Tar Heels.
North Carolina actually got off to a strong start on Monday night as the team’s offense went 83 yards on seven plays to score a touchdown on its first possession of the game. The defense then followed that up with a quick stop to get the ball back.
Unfortunately for North Carolina, it was all downhill from there.
After the Tar Heels went up 7-0, TCU responded by scoring 41 consecutive points, highlighted by a 75-yard run and two defensive touchdowns. The Horned Frogs ultimately beat North Carolina by a final score of 48-14, handing Belichick a lopsided loss in his college debut.
Belichick Sends a Clear Message
After the game, Belichick spoke to reporters in his postgame press conference, where he shared a seven-word message on his team’s performance: “I know we’re a lot better than that.”
“You know, we need to do a better job all the way around — coaching, playing, all three phases of the game, just wasn’t up to what it needs to be,” Belichick told reporters via Pro Football Talk. “I know we’re lot better than that. So we’ll need to work on those things and show it on Saturday . . . , but give TCU credit, they came in and did a good job, and they were clearly the better team tonight. They deserved to win, and they did it decisively.”
Belichick and the Tar Heels will have a chance to bounce back from the disappointing loss with a showdown against the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday. We’ll have to see how they perform.
