Now that the shock of Bill Belichick heading to North Carolina has started to wear off, Tom Brady is starting to imagine how the Tar Heels might look with his former head coach.
Brady admitted that the news “kind of blew me away” when he was asked about it during his call for Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers–Philadelphia Eagles game on FOX. But he thinks Belichick will wind up doing great things in Chapel Hill.
Tom Brady on Bill Belichick becoming UNC Football HC – ‘It blew me away’
“I didn’t think that was an opportunity he was looking at,” Brady said. “They’re getting, obviously, a tremendous coach. Those guys are going to play very hard. He’s going to coach them well. It’s a great benefit for all those players that are going to that program, because they’re getting the best coach that the NFL has ever seen.”
Belichick has already said that the way he runs his UNC program will have an NFL influence. In an interview with ESPN prior to getting the job, Belichick said that he would build a team that would provide a path to becoming an NFL-ready player. He also said at his introductory press conference that he plans to have a “strong presence of NFL people on the staff.”
Of course, Belichick’s plan can only be executed if he gets the right players, which means he’ll have to do some recruiting. Belichick never held a coaching position in the college game prior to being hired by UNC, making recruiting a bit foreign to him.
Bill Belichick: Julian Edelman reacts to North Carolina head coach hire | FOX NFL Kickoff
Brady is among those wondering how his former coach’s personality will come across when he speaks to high schoolers, sharing a memory he had of Belichick from his playing career.
“He’s not the warmest and fuzziest of all guys,” Brady said with a laugh. “I remember one year after we won the Super Bowl, our first year, we got in a limo out on Bourbon Street after we beat the Rams in 2001. We got in the limo the next morning for the MVP press conference. He goes, ‘You know what, Tom? You had a pretty good season.’
“That was about as warm and fuzzy as it got with Coach Belichick.”
Well, Belichick was able to claim his first major recruiting win on Saturday. Class of 2025 four-star quarterback Bryce Baker reaffirmed his commitment to the school, citing Belichick’s pro background as the reason why he’ll play at North Carolina.
Belichick will have some work to do on the recruiting ground, though. UNC’s Class of 2025 is ranked last in the ACC by 247Sports as of Sunday. With early signing day in the rearview, Belichick will seemingly have to get to work in the transfer portal as he’ll have to show his “warm and fuzzy” side.
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