Report: Bill Belichick Expected to Poach Some Patriots Coaches for UNC Staff

Bill Belichick may not be the only former New England Patriots coach heading to Chapel Hill next fall.

According to CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones, Belichick is "expected" to bring members of the Patriots' coaching, training, strength and personnel staffs with him to North Carolina.

Belichick, who coached the Patriots to six Super Bowl titles between 2000 and 2023, had never coached a college team before he agreed to a five-year deal with UNC in December.

The Patriots are currently led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo. He is expected to hire "more veteran coaches" if he returns for a second season, per Jones.

The incoming Tar Heels coach has already been busy adding candidates with previous NFL experience to his coaching staff.

Belichick previously stated that he will retain interim head coach Freddie Kitchens on his staff next season. Matt Zenitz recently reported for CBS Sports and 247Sports that Kitchens, who coached the Cleveland Browns in 2019, is expected to serve as Belichick's offensive coordinator.

Steve Belichick, who most recently served as defensive coordinator for Washington and previously worked on the Patriots staff, is expected to join the Tar Heels as DC, per Zenitz.

Former Patriots scout Joe Anile is expected to join the program's personnel department, per Zenitz, while former NFL executive Michael Lombardi will serve as the program's GM.

Belichick said on Monday that there would be "a strong NFL presence on the staff, but not exclusively," per 247Sports' Grant Hughes.

Because of that connection, Belichick indicated he would have to wait to finalize some decisions until after the NFL regular season and playoffs wrap up, per Hughes.

The most obvious candidate to potentially leave Mayo's staff for Chapel Hill is safeties coach Brian Belichick, who remained with the Patriots following his father and brother's departure after the 2023 season.

When asked in December about the possibility of Brian Belichick leaving, Mayo said he didn't want to "get into that" but that he expected his assistants to remain in New England for the rest of the season, per Sports Illustrated's Mike Kadlick.

Ten members of Mayo's staff either coached with or played for Belichick, per Boston.com's Conor Roche. Although ESPN's Adam Schefter has reported that Mayo is expected to return for a second season in 2025, there could be turnover around him if any of those ten follow their former leader to the FBS.