“He’s a grumpy 73-year-old who never really showed any interest in college football at all; I’m not sure what it’s going to look like, but it’s going to be interesting,” Colin Cowherd is deeply invested in how Bill Belichick’s CFB stint pans out in the coming weeks. The legend, who wears eight Super Bowl rings, has set foot in Chapel Hill. Unlike his contemporary, who has retired, Belichick is not done yet. And mind you! He’s not just riding shotgun; he is behind the wheel, navigating NIL, transfer portal, and 19-year-old QBs.
Last season, UNC concluded a decent 6-7 overall record. But with Belichick’s celebrated portfolio, there is a wave of optimism at UNC. From the moment he stepped on Chapel Hill, he has been pretty active. Be it in high school recruiting or rehauling the coaching roster, and onboarding Baker Bryce or Travis Burgess. But developing recruits takes time, which the Tar Heels don’t have, considering how close the 2025 season seems to be. So, it appears that Belichick has taken a chapter straight from Coach Prime’s playbook, and Colin Cowherd is not impressed.
“They have really used the portal a lot. I don’t love that. I don’t think the portal should be used with discretion,” Colin laid out his blunt opinion on CFB on Fox, in a conversation with Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt. Yes, while making recruiting strides, Belichick has relied on the transfer portal to replenish the talent pool. Gio Lopez, Thaddeus Dixon, and Andrew Simpson, to name a few.
“But what are they supposed to do?” counters Klatt. And in classic Cowherd style, he is ready with the answers. “Coach up the kids they have recruit in high school.” But Klatt doesn’t buy it. He then further argues that, “It’s like Deion in his first year. It’s like there are programs that are forced to go the portal route. You might be right that okay, recruit and develop. Is that how you get to the top of the sport? Yes. But that’s not how you turn it around quickly.”
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After taking up the role of the Buffs coach, Coach Prime employed a 40/40/20 plan, relying heavily on transfers as compared to developing recruits. 40% graduate transfers, 40% undergrad transfers, and 20% high school recruits. Klatt continued with, “Like if you’re Bill Belichick, don’t you have to hit the portal to try to be competitive right away?” But, Cowherd again counters by saying, “Well, I think he is a much better coach than 99% of the coaches in college.” There it was. Was it Colin’s firm belief, although unspoken, in Belichick’s college debut?
The discussion further moved to UNC’s schedule, with Colin Cowherd eyeing the Tar Heels. Well, it’s more like Cowherd giving Belichick, ‘What’s stopping you?’ look.
“They should coach nine wins:” Colin Cowherd lays out his opinion on Bill Belichick’s 2025 schedule
The schedule strength is a crucial element regarding the strength of your roster. Talent alone doesn’t guarantee success. It matters who you line up against week in and week out. That’s why the conference you play in becomes such a big deal. A couple of days back, even Paul Finebaum called out the Nittany Lions’ schedule, calling it cupcakes.
This time, both Colin and I are of the opinion that the Tar Heels should win more games, given their schedule. “I think I think if they get decent quarterback play, I looked at their schedule. It looks like I said it looks like a US News and World Report academic ranking. They’ve got a lot of Dukes and Cals in there and Virginia’s,” Cowherd said. “If they just keep turnovers low, they should coach nine wins.” The host agreed, “All they have to do is play Belichick’s style.”
Earlier as well, Colin argued the same. The SEC and the Big 10 are considered the most competitive conferences. But in ACC, UNC should strive to win it all. “If Belichick were in the SEC or Big Ten, he’d get rolled,” Cowherd said. “But the ACC is so god-awful outside of Clemson that he may just coach his way to a lot of wins.” The Tar Heels’ lineup consists of TCU, Richmond, Charlotte, and others. Colin believes that Clemson might make them sweat. But again, the QB factor still lingers, and UNC has yet to decide its QB1.
With the Patriots, Belichick won six Lombardi Trophies with star QB Tom Brady and a .647 win rate. But Brady’s departure saw to the drought at the New England Patriots. The winning streaks dried up, and what was left was two playoff appearances and a 1-2 postseason record. So, a strong QB is indispensable for Belichick’s roster. Though the QB1 is still under wraps, the position is open to competition.
“We’ll give everybody an opportunity to compete; Nobody’s entitled to it; nobody’s been given anything; Whoever earns it is going to be who gets it. That’s the bottom line,” Belichick said. Well, the top contenders appear to be Alabama transfer Gio Lopez and Max Johnson. Also, a quick mental note, Lopez made his appearance at ACC Days with the HC. Let’s see how Belichick’s first season at CFB unwinds.
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