Bill Belichick begins his first season coaching North Carolina with a sharper contrast in the mix between college and the NFL. The college game offers fewer intermediaries and a more cohesive direction, versus the owner-driven, cap-laden NFL machine. Belichick notes the absence of a single owner and the complexity of college rosters, which include the portal, three evolving high school classes, and constant recruiting. The Tar Heels will navigate these realities as Belichick leans on a direct vision, free from NFL-style owner interference.

Belichick is already balancing roster realities with personal ties, employing his sons Steven and Brian on the UNC staff. The season opener against TCU on Sept. 1 looms as a test of how his NFL-honed discipline translates to college, where contracts and portals are murkier and recruiting never sleeps. In a landscape where power dynamics shift yearly, Belichick anticipates a year of managing turnover, while Mack Brown’s perspective underscores the seismic shifts underway for Tar Heels football. Win or lose, the era is defined by autonomy rather than ownership meddling.