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Bill Belichick officially ended his coaching hiatus when he was hired to be the next coach of the University of North Carolina Tarheels earlier this week. On Thursday morning, as the news settled in, New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington was asked by reporters about Belichick's new job.
Covington has worked with the Patriots defense in various roles since 2017 and said he was quite happy for his former boss. Patriots beat reporter Doug Kyed reported that Covington said that he knows Belichick is glad when he is coaching football, so his new role with the Tarheels will be great for him.
"Awesome for him. Happy. Obviously, coach wants to coach, so it's great for him to get an opportunity to do what he loves to do," Covington said.
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At 72 years old, this will be the first time that Belichick will be coaching at the collegiate level. His father, Steve Belichick, though, was an assistant head coach for the North Carolina Tarheels from 1953-1955.
Bill Belichick released a statement after being hired by UNC
After 24 years as the head coach of the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick parted ways with the organization in January 2024. Despite interviewing for other coaching roles this past offseason, Belichick didn't coach in the NFL in 2024. He has tried his hand at the media side of the game, though, and has weekly guest roles on ESPN's "Manningcast" as well as "The Pat McAfee Show."
ESPN's NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, shared Belichick's first official statement since being hired by the North Carolina Tarheels.
"I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill. I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill," Belichick said.
Belichick reportedly signed a three-year, $30 million contract at UNC. Now Belichick will step into coaching again, this time at the collegiate level, and although it's still football, it's an entirely different entity. Belichick will first have to build his coaching staff and then navigate the transfer portal and the world of players' NIL deals.
