Anonymous ACC coach reveals biggest question facing Bill Belichick at the college level

There are some questions facing Bill Belichick as a coach at the college level, based on what anonymous ACC coaches had to say. In direct quotes to Athlon Sports, some questioned if Belichick could actually adjust to the college game after he spent his entire career in the NFL.

Funny enough, these anonymous coaches didn’t mention the PR nightmare that is Jordon Hudson, his girlfriend and “creative muse.” Although things have quieted down for now, there’s no question more attention was paid to Belichick’s personal life rather than what will happen on the field for North Carolina this year.

But, these coaches focused solely on the on-field product. Belichick thrived on getting to know his players in a professional environment. It’s not quite the same in college.

“Honestly, no one really has any idea what to expect on the field when they start this season,” one coach told Athlon. That’s putting it bluntly.

“How Bill [Belichick] adjusts to the structure of the college game is gonna be crucial,” another coach said. “It’s less time you get with the players, which means it’s less football intelligence.”

One person in Belichick’s cap that has been quiet is GM Michael Lombardi. Like the head coach, Lombardi was doing his regular media spots on THe Pat McAfee Show and elsewhere. But he’s been silent over the last month and it surely could cause questions about how he’s adjusting to the NIL space.

“The real interesting piece we’re watching is how [GM Michael] Lombardi and the coaches approach the NIL portion,” an additional anonymous coach told Athlon. But it didn’t stop there.

Belichick and crew want to operate like a pro franchise. Maybe it works for North Carolina and can change how coaches approach college programs. Or, it could blow up in their faces right away.

“They’ve been vocal about criticizing other programs on how they spend and evaluate,” one coach told Athlon. “There’s talk about how they’re going to become an advanced, pro-level scouting program that implements NIL better. We’ll see. We do expect a better overall haul from these guys in high school recruiting than from Mack [Brown], at least until the novelty wears off or Bill gets a bad reputation.”

We won’t get an inside look at UNC and Belichick this summer on HBO’s Hard Knocks, so we’ll have to wait for the on-field product in August. Or at least the summer updates around the ACC.