North Carolina interviews Bill Belichick for head coaching job, AP sources say

FOLLOWING THE TEAM, TAKING OVER FOR A SIX TIME SUPER BOWL CHAMPION COMES WITH EXPECTATIONS AND COMPARISONS. I COULDN’T ARTICULATE WHAT THE PATRIOT WAY IS. I JUST KNOW THAT HARD WORK WORKS, THAT REALITY IS NOT LOST. ON JEROD MAYO, WHO’S TASKED WITH LEADING A HISTORIC FRANCHISE INTO ITS NEXT CHAPTER. ALL WHILE FIGURING OUT WHO HE IS AS A HEAD COACH. SOME OF THE PHILOSOPHY THINGS, UM, YOU KNOW, I’M STILL KIND OF GETTING THOSE IN ORDER. LOOK, I DO CHANGE. I’M STILL EVOLVING. I’M EVOLVING AS A HEAD COACH. THIS ISN’T THE FINAL FORM OF JEROD MAYO, THE HEAD COACH. I’VE ONLY BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, SO. AND HE’S ALREADY LEFT HIS MARK ON HIS PLAYERS AND MY MESSAGE IS IT’S NOT HOW MANY OPPORTUNITIES LIKE MAYO SAYS, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT OPPORTUNITY. BUT COACH MAYO ISN’T AIMING TO THROW AWAY THE CULTURE THAT BROUGHT HIM A SUPER BOWL RING AND THAT’S HOW I LOOKED AT THE PATRIOT WAY. IS THAT WE JUST WORKED HARDER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, AND I DO, UH, I BELIEVE IN THAT PHILOSOPHY AS WELL. WELL, THE PATRIOTS CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR QUARTERBACKS ON THEIR ROSTER, BUT MAYO SAYS THEY’RE LOOKING TO CUT THAT NUMBER DOWN TO THREE BY TRAINING CAMP. IT’S ALSO WORTH NOTING THAT THE ROOKIE DRAKE MAYE, HE SIGNED HIS ROOKIE DEAL EARLIER TH

North Carolina has interviewed former New England Patriots coach and six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick for its head coaching position, two people with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn't commenting publicly on its search.Belichick's interview, first reported by Inside Carolina, comes a week after the school fired its winningest coach in College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown. The school announced Nov. 26 that Brown wouldn't return for a seventh season in his second stint at the school, with Brown staying on to coach last weekend's rivalry loss to N.C. State.Former Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens is working as the interim coach for an upcoming bowl game as UNC conducts it search.Moving on from the 73-year-old Brown to hire the 72-year-old Belichick would mean UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet had incredible NFL success alongside quarterback Tom Brady throughout most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots that ended last season.In the time since, he had been linked to NFL jobs, notably the Atlanta Falcons in January.UNC's opening comes at a time of rapid changes in college athletics with free player movement through the transfer portal and players able to cash in on their athletic fame with endorsement opportunities. There's also the impending arrival of revenue sharing, part of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement proposal that gained preliminary approval by a judge in October."I think it's a great time for me to get out," Brown said after Saturday's loss to the Wolfpack. "This isn't the game that I signed up for. It's changed so much."In an UNC-produced podcast earlier this week, athletic director Bubba Cunningham said all the coaches the school is talking with about its job "are playing," with college football having reached its conference title games before unveiling the 12-team College Football Playoff and bowl assignments.Cunningham said then that "fit" was the most important thing in finding Brown's successor. "There's a certain person that's best suited at the right time, at the right place," he said. "And right now, that's we're looking for: Where are we today, who can lead us in the next three, five, 10 years?"

Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the school isn't commenting publicly on its search.

Belichick's interview, first reported by Inside Carolina, comes a week after the school fired its winningest coach in College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown. The school announced Nov. 26 that Brown wouldn't return for a seventh season in his second stint at the school, with Brown staying on to coach last weekend's rivalry loss to N.C. State.

Former Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens is working as the interim coach for an upcoming bowl game as UNC conducts it search.

Moving on from the 73-year-old Brown to hire the 72-year-old Belichick would mean UNC is turning to a coach who has never worked at the college level, yet had incredible NFL success alongside quarterback Tom Brady throughout most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots that ended last season.

In the time since, he had been linked to NFL jobs, notably the Atlanta Falcons in January.

UNC's opening comes at a time of rapid changes in college athletics with free player movement through the transfer portal and players able to cash in on their athletic fame with endorsement opportunities.

There's also the impending arrival of revenue sharing, part of a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement proposal that gained preliminary approval by a judge in October.

"I think it's a great time for me to get out," Brown said after Saturday's loss to the Wolfpack. "This isn't the game that I signed up for. It's changed so much."

In an UNC-produced podcast earlier this week, athletic director Bubba Cunningham said all the coaches the school is talking with about its job "are playing," with college football having reached its conference title games before unveiling the 12-team College Football Playoff and bowl assignments.

Cunningham said then that "fit" was the most important thing in finding Brown's successor.

"There's a certain person that's best suited at the right time, at the right place," he said. "And right now, that's we're looking for: Where are we today, who can lead us in the next three, five, 10 years?"

North Carolina interviews Bill Belichick for head coaching job, AP sources say

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