The transition for new North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick has been, to say the least, unconventional.
The 73-year-old has remained a fixture in headlines since taking over the Tar Heels — though much of that attention has focused on his off-field relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson.
Belichick, who is reportedly engaged to Hudson, has recently pulled back from appearing publicly with her, seemingly in an effort to cool the media frenzy that erupted following their CBS interview.
Now, it’s back to football for the former New England Patriots head coach — albeit in a completely different arena.
MORE: Bill Belichick’s first year at UNC draws brutal projection
That shift to the college game has fueled skepticism from critics like CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli, who ranked Belichick 66th out of 68 Power Four head coaches.
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“Now, here’s an interesting case study of how our voters think. Belichick has won six Super Bowls as a head coach and two as an assistant. He’s widely considered one of the greatest football coaches of all time. And I had him 66th on my ballot. Why? Because none of that success has happened at the college level,” Fornelli wrote.
Not everyone sees it that way. Fellow CBS Sports reporter John Talty ranked Belichick 19th.
“Our John Talty had him at 19 because he’s Bill Belichick. In the end, he finished here. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s ranked a year from now,” Fornelli added.
Belichick ultimately landed at No. 54 on the list — four spots behind former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, now at Boston College.
Still, Belichick’s arrival has already made an impact in Chapel Hill. UNC sold out its 20,000-ticket allotment for the upcoming season, a spike that coincided with his hiring.
“For some of these programs like Colorado and [North] Carolina, selling out the stadium, getting on television, raising NIL money, trumps getting to the playoffs,” The Herd’s Colin Cowherd said.
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders came in at No. 33 in the CBS rankings.