NFL legend stops short of endorsing ex-Patriots HC Bill Belichick's campaign for UNC job

NFL legend Julius Peppers isn't endorsing Bill Belichick to be the next coach of North Carolina University. Belichick has been interviewing with the school for its vacant head football coach position. The former New England Patriots coach going to college football would be interesting, but former Tar Heel and NFL legend Peppers would prefer Steve Wilks as UNC's coach over Belichick.

On Monday, Peppers shared his thoughts via a tweet, writing:

"I’m getting a few requests about my thoughts on UNC Football. So I’ll just say it like this- ALL of the decision makers know who we want as our next leader. I think that’s all that matters. If we get him- great, if we don’t get him- that’s cool too. I’ve said my piece. #GoHeels."

Peppers' comment came after reporter Joe Person revealed Wilks was also intervening for the Tar Heels coaching job.

"Can confirm former NFL head coach Steve Wilks interviewed for the UNC vacancy last week, as @PeteNakos_ first reported. Wilks has the support of some former Tar Heels players, most notably Julius Peppers," Person wrote.

Wilks is the former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and Carolina Panthers interim head coach. He spent last season as a volunteer advisor with the Charlotte 49ers.

Belichick, meanwhile, didn't coach in 2024 after parting ways with the New England Patriots. Belichick is arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, but he has never coached in college. Per ESPN, the coach and the school met for five hours on Sunday. The Tar Heels fired coach Mack Brown on Nov. 29, six seasons into his second stint with the program.

Bill Belichick explains how he'd run a college program

If Bill Belichick gets the UNC job, he will have a unique vision of how the program will run. During his weekly appearance on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday, Belichick said he will run the program like it's an NFL team to get the players ready for the next level.

"If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL," Belichick said. "It would be a professional program -- training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL."

However, Belichick is still not sure if he will even get the UNC coaching job. But he said the meeting went well after they had a couple of good conversations. He also said he'll see where it goes from here, but the legendary NFL coach is interested in making the jump to college.