Minutes after the University of North Carolina made the announcement of hiring Bill Belichick as its next head football coach, an intriguing scene unfolded on the Tar Heels’ Instagram account. A photo emerged, depicting the legendary NFL coach at no more than 3 years old, sitting in the UNC bleachers. This sparked a wave of reactions and discussions across the football world.

What You Need To Know

Bill Belichick's NFL Achievements

Bill Belichick stands as the most decorated coach in NFL history, having earned six Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots and two more as the defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. His extensive resume and remarkable success have made him a household name in the football community.

His next venture takes him to college football as he agreed to a five-year deal with the University of North Carolina. This move has generated a lot of excitement and curiosity among football fans and experts alike.

Reactions in the NFL

The news of his hiring spread like wildfire across the NFL world, and the reactions ranged from excitement at seeing him back on the sideline to disbelief. Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury humorously joked, "I will have to see him on the sideline to believe that’s happening. We’ll see how the NFL job search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that’s happening."

While some are excited to see him back in action, others are skeptical about how his coaching style will translate to the college game. There has been a debate among those who have played for him over the years about the adaptability of his methods.

Former Players' Views

Some of his former players believe that his skill set will work at any level. Tom Brady, the quarterback during all six of Belichick’s Super Bowl wins with New England, posted on Instagram, "Congrats, coach. The Tar Heel way is about to become a thing."

Kendrick Bourne, a Patriots receiver who played under Belichick during his final three years in New England, offered his advice. He said, "Just stay tough. Have a gritty mindset because it’s not going to be easy, but in the end, it’s going to be worth it."

Age and Coaching

Current Patriots coach Jerod Mayo believes that good coaching is ageless. He said, "To me, it doesn’t matter if you’re a young man or a 10-year vet in the league, he’s a great teacher. I wish him nothing but the best. It doesn’t really matter what level, I think he’ll be successful."

NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders also welcomed Belichick as a competitor. He posted on X, "Coach Bill Belichick is a coaches coach to all us Coaches along with my man coach (NIck) Saban. They’re game changers and they know how to move people forward. I know this is a great thing for College Football & for North Carolina. God bless u Coach, if you’re happy I am 2."

Adapting to the College Game

Former Patriots defensive back Je’Rod Cherry wonders how well Belichick’s old-school coaching style will be received in the current era. He said, "You can’t coach hard anymore. You can’t yell at guys, curse at guys and that’s what he does. You are going to have to find guys who are going to accept that brand of coaching and will accept someone constantly getting on them."

New York Jets safety Jalen Mills was also surprised by the news. He said, "I thought he definitely was going to try to wait it out until after the season and come back to the NFL. But I think it’s gonna be a good thing for him because now you get a guy who has won and, of course, he’s going to try to turn that program around. But he also gets to connect with the younger generation and kind of modify and adjust to this younger generation of football on top of what he already knows. So I think that’ll just help him as far as coaching. And then, of course, he’ll give those guys, those young guys, structure as far as what the NFL looks like, too."

Belichick's Approach at UNC

During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN prior to agreeing to the UNC job, Belichick laid out his approach. He said, "The program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players than have the ability to play in the NFL. 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."