Paul Finebaum shares clear stance on Bill Belichick coaching at UNC

Legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick made headlines in early December when it was announced that he had signed a five-year, $50 million contract to become the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The move came as a huge shock as Belichick had never coached in college during his 50-year coaching career.

While Belichick is widely viewed as one of, if not the best head coach in NFL history, not everyone is confident he will succeed at the college level. Coaching in college is very different from coaching in the NFL and the importance of recruiting cannot be understated.

Additionally, Belichick was successful in New England partially because he was also responsible for making roster decisions as the de facto GM. He does not have that responsibility at UNC. and analyst Paul Finebaum spoke about this on "The Paul Finebaum Show." He is of the opinion that Belichick could struggle due to circumstances beyond his ability to control:

"Sadly, because I think he's a really good athletic director, no longer calls the shots," Finebaum said. "It comes from above him. That's how they made a disaster out of the Mack Brown firing. I don't know whether Belichick will make it or not, but I do know that wasn't the choice of the A.D."

Finebaum is referring to athletic director Bubba Cunningham. There was a report in November that former head coach Mack Brown would return to UNC in 2025. However, a few weeks later, Brown was fired and Belichick was hired shortly after.

As a result, it appears that the decision to hire Bill Belichick came from above AD Bubba Cunningham. So, it might be difficult for the two to work together.

Bill Belichick's first season at UNC will be featured on 'Hard Knocks'

Successful or not, the football world will be watching to see how Bill Belichick does in his first season at UNC. Fans will get a closer look than expected because on Friday it was announced that the North Carolina Tar Heels will be featured on 'Hard Knocks' this season.

It was a surprising announcement from NFL Films. The studio has been filming 'Hard Knocks' for well over a decade and has followed NFL teams each offseason and season. However, it is often challenging to get teams to agree to be on the show. This season, they were unable to sign a deal with an NFL team. As a result, the NFL Films pivoted and will be covering college football at UNC.