Belichick, Tar Heels Take Center Stage at ACC Media Days

Bill Belichick took the stage Thursday in front of a ballroom packed with reporters and shielded his eyes. The lights were indeed bright, though not too bright for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. Belichick turned an entire sport on its head with his decision to take the North Carolina job after decades in the NFL.

Belichick, Tar Heels Take Center Stage at ACC Media Days originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

CHARLOTTE — Bill Belichick took the stage Thursday in front of a ballroom packed with reporters and shielded his eyes. The lights were indeed bright, though not too bright for the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach.

Belichick turned an entire sport on its head with his decision to take the North Carolina job after decades in the NFL. He has been the story of the college football offseason, with a spotlight on his personal life. But now, it was time to talk ball.

“Appreciate everybody coming out today,” Belichick said. “It's really exciting for me to be here.”

Apparently, the feeling was mutual, as the third and final session of ACC media days had a different air about it. There was a noticeably increased security presence around the Hilton Charlotte Uptown, presumably in anticipation of Belichick’s appearance. The layout of the breakout interview room had also been reorganized to accommodate the dozens who would soon pile in to hear from the man known to many as the GOAT.

UNC coach Bill Belichick shields his eyes as he speaks at the 2025 ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte on July 24, 2025.

“Honestly, this is what we all wanted,” said UNC defensive back Thaddeus Dixon of the attention on the program. “We all wanted to be on the big stage, the biggest stage, playing for the best coach of all time. This just comes with it.”

Dixon, a transfer from Washington, is one of 70 offseason additions for the Tar Heels. That level of turnover is drastic, even with a coaching change. There’s a lot that’s new around the North Carolina program as college football changes, too.

Belichick said he and general manager Michael Lombardi have experience navigating the modern college football landscape given their time in the NFL, another sign of the sport's growing professionalization.

“Similar — not the same — but similar in terms of NIL, revenue sharing, free agency, if you will, and recruiting, post-draft type recruiting, as opposed to drafting,” Belichick said.

UNC's new staff is branding itself as the NFL’s 33rd team, given its close ties to the league. Wide receiver Jordan Shipp, a North Carolina native who was on the 2024 roster, said there have been tangible upgrades to the program’s strength and conditioning approach. He also said the perception of the program has changed since Belichick took the job in December.

UNC wide receiver Jordan Shipp speaks at the 2025 ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte on July 24, 2025.

The Tar Heels are not a historically strong football program. They have one 10-win season since the turn of the century and haven’t won an ACC championship since before Belichick ascended to his first head coaching job. They also lost to in-state rivals NC State and Duke last season.

UNC scored minor, off-field victories over the Wolfpack and Blue Devils on Thursday, though, as Belichick stole the spotlight from them both. Some reporters were already camped out in the breakout room, angling for a better position for Belichick’s address when Duke coach Manny Diaz and his players came through the room. And the horde of media stayed put as Belichick held court while NC State coach Dave Doeren addressed a less-than-packed ballroom next door.

The gruff persona Belichick came to be known for in New England was not on display Thursday. He drew laughs from the crowd and smiled often — and not just when he got to talk about the evolution of the fullback position or Navy football.

“They try to portray him like just this real stuck up, it’s gonna be this way or the highway,” Dixon said. “But in reality, he’s all about ball. He’s all about winning.”

Belichick has done a lot of winning with 302 regular-season victories across 29 seasons as an NFL head coach. One of his more notable wins came at the expense of the Raiders, Dixon’s favorite team growing up.

“I hated the Patriots. I hated Tom Brady. I hated everything about the Patriots growing up, not gonna lie,” Dixon said. “They knocked us out of the playoffs every year. What was the — tuck rule? Things like that. It was traumatizing.”

UNC defensive back Thaddeus Dixon speaks at the 2025 ACC Kickoff event in Charlotte on July 24, 2025.

Perhaps Dixon can be on the other side of some of that Belichick magic this season with a revamped Tar Heels team. Their Belichick era begins with a standalone game at home on Sept. 1 against TCU. Coincidentally, it was the Horned Frogs who faced Colorado in Deion Sanders’ debut a few years ago. Now, they’re set to play college football’s newest celebrity coach.

“I'm excited for the new change, the new spark, the new energy that this season is bringing to the team, to the players on the team that stayed, but also just to the whole fan base and the community of Chapel Hill,” defensive back Will Hardy said. “I think everyone is looking forward to it. I'm no different. I know all the players on the team that were here last year are excited for this new change.

“When we got the news that coach Belichick was going to be our new coach, we were all pumped for it. Shocked at first, but ready to get to work, and that's exactly what we've been doing.”

Related: Questions Abound at UNC with Bill Belichick at Center of Attention

Related: Miami QB Carson Beck Provides Injury Update, Recalls Wild Final Play at Georgia

Related: Mike Norvell Vows Energized Florida State Will Respond After Disastrous '24 Season

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.

Category: General Sports