UNC Is Not Loving ‘The Bill Belichick Experience’ Four Months In

Legendary head coach Bill Belichick officially headed back to school in December. It’s going, uh, alright?

Belichick won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots before parting ways with the team in 2023. He was shopping around for a head coaching position since, and finally took a job at the University of North Carolina, with the guarantee that his son, Stephen Belichick, would get the coaching job when he retired.

The promise of the “Bill Belichick experience” is the promise of being run like an NFL franchise.  “Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” said general manager Mike Lombardi following the hiring. “We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team.”

That’s a bold statement to make about a team that finished 13th in the ACC last season, with an overall record of 6-6, but it’s one that Belichick has adhered to. The team receives “Pro Performance Nutrition” and visits from former Patriots, and Belichick has had the numbers on the practice jerseys removed – a nod to the idea that “the name on the front matters more than the name on the back.”

Part of Belichick’s appeal, to begin with, was the impact his reputation would have on recruiting. UNC’s recruiting class, though, has jumped just one spot in nationwide rankings, from 32 to 31. Its composite rank has also dropped dramatically, from spot 26 to 41. All to say: the name-brand strategy has been perhaps less successful than it was touted to be.

These few months wouldn’t be a success by the PR metric, either.

Belichick didn’t seem particularly inclined to engage with the fans during the program’s “Practice Like A Pro” experience, which about 2,000 fans attended. Fans didn’t know which player was which, since they didn’t have numbers. And Belichick didn’t so much as acknowledge the crowd, let alone sign a few autographs.

And then there’s the girlfriend. Jordon Hudson, 24, is reportedly “intimately” involved with UNC operations, particularly public relations. Belichick has requested that she be copied on many of his staff emails. (Belichick recently turned 73, in case you have lost track.) The Hudson story has grown larger than any other narrative around the Belichick coaching campaign, which may influence the ‘NFL team’ appearance Belichick is looking for.

Hudson was in the news again this week for frequently interrupting Belichick’s interview with a CBS reporter.

It certainly hasn’t looked ideal for Belichick in the first part of his stint with the Tar Heels. For a coaching staff being paid $20 million, the only way to fix that is by winning. Luckily for Belichick, he has practice.