After the release of UConn’s football bowl matchup against UNC, many storylines arise. Will Connecticut win their first bowl game since 2010? Can North Carolina put a dominant ending to what has been a disappointing season for their program? Will UConn finally get that long-awaited power-school victory in their hopes of becoming one of those teams? Yet, the one that sticks out the most is the head coaching situation. Bill Belichick is the new coach of the UNC Tar Heels.
UNC Football enters Fenway Bowl with Bill Belichick as head coach
Future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Bill Belichick, just recently received the head coaching job at UNC. ESPN sources reported on Monday that the initial conversations between the Tar Heels and Belichick were ‘ongoing,’ prompting many to think he had a high likelihood of receiving the position. Just two days later, and Belichick is taking his talents to Division I and becoming the oldest FBS coach in college football.
Now the eight-time Super Bowl winner is a part of the staff for UNC’s game in Boston, ironically where Belichick defined his career. But what does this all mean for this individual matchup?
The initial mutual interest in the job between Belichick and UNC came as a shock to many. At 72 years old, he’s still a very talented and consistent coach. However, will he be able to take on a long-term assignment and rebuild this ACC program?
In the landscape of college athletics, we’ve seen already coaches like Coach K, Jay Wright, Tony Bennett (in basketball), and Nick Saban step down from their positions essentially because of the uncivilized system that is the NIL.
With players now allowed to be paid for their name, image, and likeness, it’s completely changed the way recruiting goes. There is no longer a guarantee that a player will stay with their respective roster for more than one season due to an influx of players entering the transfer portal season after season. So instead of getting out of the chaos, Belichick is joining it and in his early-70’s.
Would that be something Belichick would want to step into? It’s worth thinking about, considering the aforementioned coaches were younger than the former Patriots head coach is now when simply accepting the position. As learned on Wednesday when he became the sixth-highest paid head coach in FBS, the answer was yes.
Bill Belichick has mentioned how he has enjoyed retirement. However, the NFL great joined the Pat McAfee show – before the official decision for him to join UNC – to speak about how he would translate his skills in the NFL to college football and player development.
“The college program would be a pipeline to the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program: training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques . It would be an NFL program at a college level.”
That’s the value Belichick could bring to the table, knowing what works for players to get to the pro’s.
Does Belichick’s hiring affect UConn in the Fenway Bowl?
Now, it appears unlikely Belichick will have this illustrious head coaching position for that bowl game against Connecticut. Being on the coaching staff this past regular season, interim head coach Freddie Kitchens should be running the squad for the Fenway Bowl on December 28. It would seem like a rushed move to have Belichick coach his first collegiate game in a big bowl site. The chances of that seem very slim, as they should be.
However, while he may not be wearing a headset, it would be shocking if the NFL-great isn’t simply scouting his future team and on the sidelines for this highly-anticipated matchup. And how crazy would that be?
UConn, viewed as one of the worst programs in FBS going into 2024, would now look to revamp their program with an important bowl game – and do it against (technically) perhaps the greatest coach to ever suit up. What a story!
That must be a lot of pressure, though, for UConn head coach Jim Mora. With a dominant program a decade ago, Mora’s goal has been to come to Connecticut and reignite its previous success. Not only that, but to ruin the expectation of disappointment ringing throughout this fanbase. As a former NFL coach himself, he understands the task at hand, and is succeeding. He’s done a great job at erasing that narrative, but has another opportunity to put Connecticut on the map.
UConn has had an elite 8-4 season, but all of those wins have come against non-power conference schools. After losses to Maryland, Duke, Wake Forest, and Syracuse, Connecticut showed that they’re maybe the ‘best-of-the-worst,’ going undefeated against non power-four schools. But it’s their four power-conference losses that have kept them away from national conversations. This gives UConn, with a national audience, a chance to prove their worth – while Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines.
Connecticut is a three-point underdog at the moment, weeks ahead of their bowl matchup against North Carolina at Fenway Park.
Chase Coburn
Chase Coburn is an aspiring sports reporter and journalist who's already achieved some great things in the industry. At just 13 years old, Chase has already started his own podcast, interviewing celebrities such as ESPN's Adam Schefter, Baltimore Ravens' Justin Madubuike, ESPN's Dan Graziano, and many others. Chase is even experienced in writing for his websites, chasessportsnews.com & chasecoburn.substack.com. He runs his schools broadcast department, and is also a freelance writer for The League Winners, covering Ravens football and UConn football.Chase, who resides in Fairfield, CT, hopes to continue his dream as a broadcaster, and inspire others to CHASE their dreams like he has.