Bill Belichick eyes possible coaching addition in SEC vet

Bill Belichick was named the North Carolina Tar Heels coach last month, returning to the college ranks for the first time since his days playing for the Wesleyan Cardinals between 1971 and 1974. The long-time New England Patriots coach has begun to make additions to his staff.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that he has hired Will Friend as UNC's offensive line coach on Wednesday, tweeting:

"Veteran offensive line coach Will Friend is expected to finalize a deal to become the offensive line coach at North Carolina. He was OC at Western Kentucky last year and has worked at Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee over the years."

He added:

"Friend’s resume includes a stint as the Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach at Colorado State from 2015-17 and the Offensive Line Coach at Georgia from 2011-14. He’s an experienced recruiter in the southern footprint."

Friend was not the only addition to Belichick's staff as a few minutes later he added that Mike Priefer had been hired as a special teams coordinator. Priefer coached in the NFL from 2002 through 2022, serving as a special teams coordinator for the final 17 years of that tenure.

Bill Belichick reportedly has not signed his contract with the North Carolina Tar Heels

Bill Belichick was named the coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels on Dec. 11. While it has been more than a month since the announcement and he has been introduced, he reportedly has yet to sign his contract. (College coaches often sign memorandums of understanding while a board of supervisors finalize and approve a contract.)

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports broke the news on Thursday, tweeting:

"New at @CBSSports : Bill Belichick does not have a signed contract at UNC, which is not uncommon in college but does introduce gray area as to how much — if any — of the $10M buyout would be paid should he bolt for the NFL"

There have been rumors of Belichick returning to the NFL level seemingly from the minute he was announced as UNC's coach. While several coaches have interviewed for vacant positions throughout the league, the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach has not been linked to any specific opening. It's unclear if he has interest in returning to the NFL or if he will indeed spend the season at the collegiate level.