Bill Belichick & the Professionalization of College Football

As Belichick heads for Chapel Hill, we are reminded of the ever disappearing line between the college game and the NFL

Fourteen. That is the number of wins separating Bill Belichick from Don Shula, the winningest head coach in NFL history. After his separation from the Patriots following the 2023 season, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Belichick would be back in the NFL at the very least to stake claim over the wins record and cement himself as the greatest coach to ever coach in the league.

But instead, he is heading to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to coach the University of North Carolina. It’s a somewhat surprising move, and one that has many around college football skeptical. There are suggestions that he will leave for the first NFL team that wants him, or that this was a nepotism move to ensure that his son was his heir apparent for the Tar Heels.

Regardless of the motives, Belichick leaves the NFL world completely for the first time since his coaching career began in 1975. While he has said that coaching in college has long been a desire of his, the move was still shocking. His decision, however, speaks volumes about the state of college football. A sport that was once drenched in amateurism has morphed into a professional operation, and NFL coaches are taking notice.