WATCH: $70 million worth Bill Belichick arrives at UNC's home Stadium for first-time as Tar Heels' head coach
Bill Belichick has arrived at Chapel Hill. The former Cleveland Browns and New England Patriots head coach made his way to Kenan Stadium as the new North Carolina Tar Heels head coach.
Wearing a navy suit and a tie, a stark contrast to the trademark hoodie fans are more accustomed to seeing him in, Belichick exited a silver van and made his way onto the stadium at around 10 am ET.
The new North Carolina head coach even smiled and waved for the cameras upon his arrival. Belichick’s net worth, estimated at $70 million by Celebrity Net Worth, might be increasing soon. He reportedly signed a five-year contract granting him $10 million a year from the school.
Belichick was given a sweatshirt and a jersey at his introductory press conference. The coach also showed he was carrying an old sweatshirt that belonged to his father, Steve, from when he was an assistant at the school in the mid-1950s.
Bill Belichick's first taste as a college head coach
While Bill Belichick’s NFL exploits are widely recognized, this will be his first experience as a head coach at the college level. However, Belichick’s first approach to football came at the college level, as his father was an assistant for different programs, including North Carolina.
“This is kind of a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, as a coach of Navy for 50 years, so as a kid all I knew was college football, and so It’s great to come back home to Carolina, and back to the environment I really grew up in,” Bill Belichick said at his introductory press conference.
With the changing environment in college football due to NIL, the transfer portal, and other intricacies of the game, Belichick’s experience in coaching and making personnel decisions could come in handy at Chapel Hill. Before taking the job, the 72-year-old coach mentioned he’d like to run the program as an NFL operation.
As for his approach on the field, Bill Belichick said he would try to coach the team with the same versatility he used at the NFL level but work more on the fundamentals of the game rather than team meetings.
“I think in some specs you have more time with college kids. Not as much meeting time, but more practice time, certainly more opportunities to practice in pads and work fundamentals and things like that.
“So, it’s a trade-off, but in the end, scheme-wise I want to be versatile and take advantage of the personnel that we have,” said Bill Belichick at the press conference.
The now UNC coach will become the oldest active coach in college football, as he is three years older than Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz.
Belichick is replacing Mack Brown, a former national champion at the University of Texas whose latest stint with the Tar Heels ended on a sour note, as the team finished the season 6-6. They will play in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 against UConn.