Bill Belichick's contract set to be approved by University of North Carolina trustees
BOSTON – Former New England Patriots Bill Belichick is set to become the next head coach of the University of North Carolina football team. Belichick's 5-year deal was announced by the school and is set to be approved by the college's Board of Trustees during a meeting Thursday morning.
How much will UNC pay Bill Belichick?
In a statement on Wednesday, the school announced that the 72-year-old had agreed to terms on a five-year deal. The Board of Trustees still must approve Belichick's contract. They have scheduled an emergency meeting for 9 a.m. on Thursday.
According to The Athletic, Belichick is set to make $10 million per year. USA Today college football writer Matt Hayes reported that to land Belichick, UNC agreed to increase its name, image and likeness (NIL) commitments from $4 million to $20 million to attract players.
North Carolina hires Mike Lombardi
Belichick has already gotten to work building his staff at North Carolina.
Mike Lombardi, who worked as an assistant coach with the Patriots from 2014-16, has been named General Manager of the Tarheels.
"I'm excited to join Coach Belichick at North Carolina," Lombardi said in a statement.
Patriots react to Bill Belichick hiring
Several Patriots players reacted to the possibility of Belichick coaching at the college level before the news became official.
"I think he's going to do good," wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said. "I think Bill does a good job of developing players, developing young men. I think it'll be a challenge for the young men. He's a tough coach which we all know. But I think it'll be good for certain players that have the right mindset."
Rookie quarterback Drake Maye played his college career at UNC.
"Obviously a legendary coach with the success he had here, and what a great place Chapel Hill is. So any time you have a legendary NFL coach going back to college, I think it's cool. It's pretty interesting," Maye said Wednesday. "A cool thing for a Hall of Fame coach to go back and coach some college kids."
