"Everybody wants to go to Carolina": Bill Belichick takes pride in his achievement on the recruiting trail amid increased interest in the Tar Heels

Bill Belichick’s transition to the college football world is still generating a lot of buzz. North Carolina hired the legendary NFL coach in December after staying off coaching for a year following a career that spanned almost five decades on the professional stage.

A few months into the job, Belichick is already taking pride in the Tar Heels. The coach has made it clear that North Carolina is now a destination of interest for student-athletes nationwide.

“We want to be a national school, and we are a national school. It is a national brand, and everybody wants to go to Carolina,” Belichick said. “We know it’s very difficult to get accepted into the school as an out-of-state student.

“We've had tremendous interest from student-athletes nationally that have great interest in the program. And so we’re everywhere. We’re gonna recruit North Carolina hard, that’s the most important state, but we also want to have a national presence for student-athletes that want to come here.”

In today’s evolving landscape of college football, creating that kind of buzz goes a long way in building a successful program and the coach is actively working toward ensuring that.

Bill Belichick explains what the recruiting trail has looked like

When Bill Belichick was getting closer to taking the North Carolina coaching job, there was widespread concern about how he would fare in the recruiting trail. He, however, has done pretty well in both high school and transfer portal recruiting. He explains what the experience has looked like so far.

“It's a little different than what I did with draft prospects, because there is a drafting element, we also recruited a lot of players who weren’t drafted, guys like David Andrews, who wasn’t drafted, who’s been the starting center for the Patriots the last nine years," he said.

“So there was an element of that in the NFL. But yeah, I’ve been very impressed with all the people that have come in contact with the high school coaches, both in and out of state, do a great job with their programs, with their players and accommodating us.”

There’s a lot of anticipation for Belichick’s first season in college football. The coach enjoyed significant success in the NFL, winning six Super Bowls as head coach of the New England Patriots. Many are waiting to see how he will transition the success to a new stage with the Tar Heels.