Paul Finebaum claims Bill Belichick plays 'second fiddle' to girlfriend Jordon Hudson at North Carolina

Paul Finebaum joined First Take on Friday, and he didn’t hold back regarding Bill Belichick. While the constant headlines regarding his girlfriend Jordon Hudson have paused a bit, the SEC Network analyst took a bit of a shot at the couple.

According to Finebaum, Belichick is playing “second fiddle” to Hudson, as his time in Chapel Hill gets underway: “Bill Belichick. Anybody heard of this guy? He’s only the most famous NFL coach of all time this side of Vince Lombardi. But lately, he’s played second fiddle to his girlfriend. I can’t believe I’m actually saying that, but I am. That’s a story that’s really intriguing everyone,” the ESPN pundit proclaimed.

“How does he do on the field? Mack Brown did not leave a great cupboard in Chapel Hill. I think Belichick has recruited well. Can he navigate the nuances of college football? That is really the question.”

Alas, Finebaum’s concern doesn’t just end with Belichick’s off-field life. He threw the coach a bone with his compliment regarding recruiting, but it’s evident Finebaum is far from sold on the former New England Patriots coach’s venture with UNC.

As for Finebaum’s colleague in Kevin Clark, the fellow ESPN analyst predicted this will be one of Belichick’s worst teams in his coaching career. He went all the way back to the coach’s pre-Patriots journey to explain his point.  

“The ACC is going to be the center of the football universe a little bit this year. The Belichick thing, I think the UNC roster is not very good going into this season. I’m intrigued to see if Belichick can scheme up some stuff here, bridge the talent gap with some of these teams that are more talented,” Clark stated.

“I think it might be one of the least successful teams Bill Belichick has had in a long time, maybe since Cleveland, frankly. Obviously he had a bad end in New England there, but I think this UNC team might be even worse than that.”

The Tar Heels’ roster, coupled with a fierce ACC, might be too much for Belichick to overcome. However, most aren’t willing to count out the multi-time Super Bowl champion, even if he hasn’t led a college program before.

It’ll be a fascinating storyline to watch. Paul Finebaum and Kevin Clark will certainly have an eye turned towards Chapel Hill this season. Whether or not Bill Belichick can get the job done is the question, and we’ll get the answer as soon as Week 1.