Steve Sarkisian reacts to Bill Belichick hire, gives advice to legendary coach at UNC

North Carolina’s decision to bring Bill Belichick to Chapel Hill sent a shockwave around the college football world. Reactions continue to pour in – and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian weighed in on the move, as well.

Sarkisian reacted to Belichick’s hire, signing a five-year deal worth $10 million per year to take over for Mack Brown, and offered some advice to the legendary coach. A six-time Super Bowl champion head coach, his only experience has been in the NFL. Although his father coached at the college level at both UNC and Navy, Belichick has never done so.

That will change. Sarkisian, like many around the sport, will be watching to see how things go at North Carolina after the splash hire.

“Fascinated,” Sarkisian said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I’m fascinated by it. Obviously, a ton of respect for Coach Belichick and the job he’s done his entire career. I think we’re all better coaches, quite frankly, because of what he’s been able to do and studying him. Whether it’s offense, defense, management of rosters, all the stuff. And obviously, my time with Coach [Nick] Saban and the connection with those two.

“But [it’s] fascinating that he’s back now and coming to college football and trying to implement some of those things there. So a ton of respect for the job he’s done. I’m sure he’ll do a great job there. But I think from most perspectives – I don’t know everybody, but ours in our building, for sure – it’s fascinating to see and to watch. How’s this project gonna go?”

Belichick brings some strong credentials as a head coach to the college game. He has eight Super Bowl rings, including six with the New England Patriots alongside Tom Brady, and is considered arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. During his career as a head coach with the Patriots and Cleveland Browns, Belichick has a 302-165 record.

But as he transitions to college football, Sarkisian had advice – but also, a warning. He would tell Belichick to look for one important quality in his coaching staff.

“Hire good recruiters,” Sarkisian said with a laugh. “It’s not a draft, that’s for sure. It’s not a draft. … It doesn’t work like that for us, that’s for sure.”

Steve Sarkisian called Bill Belichick over the offseason

Last year, Texas made its first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. Texas won the Big 12 in its final year in the league and eventually fell to Washington in the Sugar Bowl before heading to the SEC.

But making it into the CFP meant the Longhorns extended their season that much longer. That led Steve Sarkisian to make a phone call to someone who’s had to deal with postseason play and shorter turnaround – Bill Belichick.

“I actually had a couple conversations with him this offseason about our schedule now because I think our calendar and our schedule is more, from a team perspective and a College Football Playoff perspective, is a little more NFL-driven,” Sarkisian said. “So I was trying to pick his brain on that. I had no idea that he’d be coming our way, getting into the college game.”

Sarkisian didn’t get into the specifics of what Belichick told him, but admitted they had good conversations. His goal was to make sure he didn’t put too much on his players’ plate, and it’s safe to say it worked out. Texas turned around and made the SEC Championship in its first year in the league, and will now get ready to host a CFP game.

“It was just more about, here’s a guy that’s year after year after year and had these long stretches of a season, right? … They’re in the Super Bowl, the championship game, and how he managed his team,” Sarkisian said. “I think, you talk to a Bill Belichick, an Andy Reid, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan – guys now that have, year-in and year-out, been in those positions of just how they manage the workloads of their roster and their team and how they practiced and got them ready to play.

“That was stuff I was trying to dig into, to make sure that we were in a really good frame of mind physically, mentally, emotionally come December. I think it’s paid off for us.”