Bill Belichick wasted no time recruiting new players to his UNC Tar Heels team ahead of his inaugural season.
In fact, the biggest question mark regarding Belichick’s surprising entry into college football was his adjustment to this NIL-era recruitment.
Well, he’s already sent a four-star recruit to Chapel Hill in quarterback Bryce Baker. Bryce Baker was introduced along with Belichick at the Tar Heels basketball game on Saturday.
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New University of North Carolina football head coach Bill speaks to the crowd at the Dean Smith Center during halftime of the NCAA college basketball game between La Salle and North Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mr. Belichick. (AP Photo/Ben McCune)
Belichick spoke about recruiting and how he’s adapting on his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” calling it an “interesting process” but one he’s seen before.
“(UNC GM) Mike Lombardi and I were just talking about that. It’s very similar to what we went through in the post-draft process, right at the start of the free agency process. It all came together in the transfer portal,” Belichick explained.
“It’s fun to bring the team together.”
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Belichick added that “a lot of players” will come through Chapel Hill this week as the open transfer portal takes programs around the country by storm. So he, Lombardi and the rest of the program are working quickly to make sure they use this time to put together the right time for 2025.
But when McAfee asked if Belichick would sell this new program to these players, the legendary coach said it has elements of both.


North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick poses with athletic director Bubba Cunningham during a press conference on December 12, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
“We’re marketing the program, but to be honest, Pat, a lot of players and agents come to us and say, ‘We want to be in the program. Do we have a spot?’ ‘Can you take in the players?’ and so on,” Belichick explained. “Many of our agents also represent players in the transfer portal that we have handled in the National Football League, so a lot of those relationships carry over into college football.”
Belichick is still assembling his coaching staff and evaluating his current roster. It’s certainly a process and something you have to learn on the fly, especially given that other programs with coaches in place have a bit of a head start on UNC with the addition of Belichick. That’s right.
But the 72-year-old already has top quarterback prospects and is on the verge of becoming a more important roster member.


Bill Belichick, new head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels, at the Loudermilk Center for Excellence. (Jim Dedmon-Imagine Images)
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According to Rivals, UNC has seven three-star players committed for the 2025 season, and Baker is a verbal commitment.
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