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Bill Belichick embracing role as ‘rookie’ coach in ACC

Barkley-Truaxby: Barkley Truax06/01/25BarkleyTruax
NCAA Football: North Carolina-Bill Belichick Press Conference
Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending his hiring announcement at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick is the self-proclaimed “rookie in the room,” in the ACC this season. Rece Davis pushed back against this.

“You’re not a rookie in any room you walk into, really, if it pertains to football,” Davis told Belichick, who joined the College GameDay Podcast during a sit-down interview alongside Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

When Belichick was announced as the next head coach at North Carolina earlier this offseason, it came as a shock to many. The eight-time Super Bowl-winning coach, at 73 years old, is making his debut coaching in college football.

“I’m not as familiar with things as a lot of the coaches, especially like Coach [Dabo] Swinney here,” Belichick admitted. “You know, he’s got way more experience in doing a lot of the things that that we do in the ACC than I do. Way more. So I’m watching him. I’m looking into the program, a great program. I want to try to copy and do some of the things that he’s been very successful with, and understand why he does them and it makes sense.

“He’s turned out a great product year after year after year after year. That speaks volumes.”

Swinney has turned Clemson into one of the most storied programs in ACC history. Since taking over the program, Swinney has led the Tigers to nine conference championships. Clemson leads the ACC with 22 overall, and only took the lead over Florida State (16) in 2017. In that time, Swinney has won two national championships (2016, 2018) with the program as well. They’re the only team within the conference to win the College Football Playoff, and the only team in the ACC to win a national title since Florida State did so in 2013.

For Belichick, he’s taking over a team that finished the 2024 college football season with a 6-7 overall record. UNC was unranked for the entire season for the first time since 2019.

In turn, the legendary NFL head coach came in and revamped the Tar Heels in his image this offseason in the hope of placing his program at the forefront of college football. Those efforts begin when the Tar Heels take on TCU in Dublin, Ireland in Week 1.

That matchup is slated for a special Monday night kickoff, which is set for 8 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. Belichick and Swinney will match up in Chapel Hill on Oct. 17.