Bill Belichick, the six-time Super Bowl-winning coach, has agreed to a five-year contract to become the next coach at the University of North Carolina (UNC).
The college confirmed the signing Wednesday night, nearly a week after the 72-year-old Belichick's name emerged as an unlikely candidate to replace the program's most successful coach ever, Mack Brown.
The deal requires approval by UNC trustees, with a news conference to reveal Belichick scheduled at the appropriate time.
“I am excited about this opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” he said.
“I grew up with my dad in college football and I appreciated those times. I always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.”
UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham: “We know that college athletics is changing, and these changes require new and innovative thinking.
“Bill Belichick is a football legend, and hiring him to lead our program represents a new approach that will ensure Carolina football can grow, compete and win – today and in the future.”
The university announced last month that Brown would not return for a seventh season in his second tenure at Chapel Hill.
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Back in January, Neil Reynolds spoke about Belichick's amazing tenure in New England after announcing he was leaving the Patriots after 24 seasons.
Going from Brown, 73, to hiring Belichick, 72, means UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet has had incredible success in the NFL alongside quarterback Tom Brady for most of his tenure. 24 years with the team. The Patriots, who finished last season.
Belichick has been linked to NFL jobs ever since, most notably the Atlanta Falcons in January.
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