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Nick Saban compares Bill Belichick, UNC to his first season at Alabama

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Mickey Welsh / Advertiser

Nick Saban compared his first year at Alabama to the first year at North Carolina for Bill Belichick this season. Sure, there’s an acclimation period, but there’s been a lot of reported turmoil in Chapel Hill halfway through the season.

Saban came in as a national championship coach, who left the NFL after two years. The rest is history of course, Saban won six national titles at Alabama. But that first year was a doozy for critics.

However, that 7-6 season might not be as bad as UNC’s 2-3 record right now, with the Tar Heels’ lack of competitiveness against Power Four opponents. Still, Saban preached patience with Belichick and crew, despite unrest coming from North Carolina.

“Every coach needs to have the opportunity to establish his culture and also to recruit his kind of players,” Saban said on College GameDay. “First year at Alabama, we lost to ULM Remember that? Alabama beat them 73-0 this year. We lost to them on a Thursday, most humiliating loss of my whole career. You know, I get in my car to go home, and I got to stop and get gas. I got no gas. I used to wear then my LSU national championship ring, I pay for the gas, the guy says, ‘Hey, what is that?’ I said, ‘it’s a national championship ring. We’re going to do the same thing here.’ He said, ‘we’ll never do it as long as Nick Saban’s the coach.’

“There was an acclimation for Bill. You know, I know how organized he is, probably misjudged a little bit of the timing of the first portal window. So they probably didn’t get an opportunity. You know, when you change coaches, you’re going to lose players, so you got to replace those players. And I think they missed the window, which is probably affecting this year, but they won’t miss it next year, and they’re doing a great job of recruiting.”

Belichick and AD Bubba Cunningham reaffirmed the commitment to the football program and released short statements during the bye week. It certainly wasn’t a great look, but they at least put it in writing.

As questions began to grow around the state of the program in Chapel Hill, On3’s Pete Nakos and Inside Carolina’s Ben Sherman had more details on where things stand. UNC will take on Cal in a Friday night primetime game next week out of the bye.

Entering Week 7, North Carolina ranks 133rd out of 136 in the nation in total offense, averaging 263.8 yards to start the year. The Tar Heels also rank last in the ACC in scoring with just 18.8 points per game so far this season.

Additionally, UNC cornerbacks coach Armond Hawkins is facing a suspension for alleged improper benefits. It was reported Hawkins gave members of a player’s family sideline passes for a game – a violation of NCAA rules.

Belichick is making $10 million this year in his first season as North Carolina head coach following a Hall of Fame-caliber career in the NFL. That figure makes him the ninth highest-paid coach in college football this year, according to data compiled by USA Today.

Belichick signed a five-year contract at UNC, though Years 4 and 5 of the deal are not guaranteed, according to the term sheet. If North Carolina was to fire Belichick without cause, the school would owe the rest of his guaranteed salary. That amounts to roughly $20 million as of Dec. 1, 2025.

However, a key clause triggered in Belichick’s contract over the summer. June 1, his buyout dropped to $1 million if he chose to leave North Carolina without cause. That number was previously $10 million prior to June 1, 2025.