Kliff Kingsbury: I Won't Believe Bill Belichick Is UNC HC Until I See Him on Sideline

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury summed up what a lot of fans are feeling with the news that Bill Belichick is North Carolina's new football coach.

"I will have to see him on the sideline to believe that's happening," Kingsbury said Thursday, per the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala. "We'll see how the NFL jobs search goes and all that. I will have to see him on the sideline coaching in Chapel Hill to believe that's happening."

Kingsbury was also candid about how he thinks Belichick might operate in a college setting:

When the six-time Super Bowl champion was first linked with the UNC job, a lot of fans probably considered it as his way of trying to gain some leverage in any negotiations with NFL teams. As the days unfolded, it became clear his pursuit of the vacancy was entirely genuine.

ESPN's Seth Wickersham reported that Belichick had been warming to the idea of coaching in college for a while and that he grew "'disgusted' in what he believes the NFL had become."

The 72-year-old's pitch to North Carolina reportedly included an "organizational bible" totaling 400 pages that laid out his entire vision. He offered a peek into that plan during his appearance this week on The Pat McAfee Show:

Belichick's success in the NFL speaks for itself. He's the greatest coach of the modern era.

Major college sports are also increasingly looking like their pro equivalents thanks to the arrival of NIL and the transfer portal as well. Schools are beginning to build front office-like structures internally because the duties behind managing a roster have expanded so much.

Because of that, going from NFL coaching to working in college may not be the jarring transition it once was.

Still, the risk behind hiring somebody—no matter how decorated—without any college coaching experience to lead such a large-scale project is pretty obvious.

And the sight of Belichick wearing Carolina Blue will take some getting used to.