"I can't see coach Belichick being all-in": Rob Gronkowski has doubt on Bill Belichick's adaptation to college football after joining North Carolina

Following a few weeks of speculation, Bill Belichick has finally been hired as the new coach of North Carolina. It marks a highly expected turn of events for the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, who is making a return to the college football landscape after almost fifty years.

In his appearance on a recent episode of the Dan Patrick Show, Rob Gronkowski offered his feelings about Bill Belichick taking a college football coaching job. While he expressed confidence in his former coach's ability to build on-field success, he raised concerns about other factors that might complicate the job.

“He knows everything. The playbook, rulebook, you name it. Special teams, offense, defense. This guy knows it all. And he would be a great coach at the University of North Carolina."

"When you're a head coach in college, it's kind of like not really being a head coach,” Gronkowski said. It's not about all football, it's more about managing the program and also managing these kids and recruiting them. I can't see coach Belichick being all-in in that situation."

Rob Gronkowski expressed doubt on Bill Belichick’s recruiting ability

There's a lot of debate out there on Bill Belichick's ability to recruit when he takes over Chapel Hill after his long stay in the NFL. Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football, and getting it right is crucial to the success of any coach in the landscape.

Rob Gronkowski doesn’t possess confidence in Bill Belichick’s ability to recruit in college football. Specifically, he highlighted the complexities of navigating the transfer portal and managing NIL dynamics as potential hurdles for the coach in the college football landscape.

"Coaching-wise, 100%—on the field getting these players ready for the NFL, that's what he would do," Gronkowski said. "When it comes to recruiting, I think that's the question mark and that's really up to him if he can see himself doing that. Me personally, I could see him getting tired and old with all that transfer portal, NIL stuff going on."

Bill Belichick, however, reinstated his confidence in adapting to the landscape in his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. The coach noted that the distinctions between coaching roles in professional and college football have been gradually diminishing.

He emphasized that in recent years, both levels of the game have seen increasing parallels in strategic planning, preparation processes, and the overall demands of team management. This reflects a convergence in how the two stages operate, which will let him adapt seamlessly.