Expectations for Bill Belichick at North Carolina are high. That’s what happens when a school shells out $10 million per season for one of the greatest NFL coaches ever, and even Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi expects big things from Belichick in Year 1.
Belichick, 73, led the New England Patriots to a 266-121 record and six Super Bowl wins over 24 seasons. When the Tar Heels fired Mack Brown last year, ending his second stint in Chapel Hill, they ponied up to hire Belichick. Whether Belichick’s long list of NFL accolades will translate to wins in his first season at North Carolina remains to be seen, but Narduzzi certainly expects big things.
“I expect them to be in the championship game against Pitt this year,” Narduzzi joked, per Brian Murphy of WRAL. “You got Bill Belichick. You better be, right?”
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Like everyone else, Narduzzi can’t predict exactly how Belichick’s North Carolina tenure will go. However, the Pitt coach will be surprised if Belichick doesn’t pile up wins given his NFL track record.
“I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t have success,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t have a crystal ball. I’m no genius over here, but he’s a heck of a football coach. But it takes players and it takes coaches, OK? It takes a program together. It takes everybody moving in the same direction. I’m sure with the president there at North Carolina, the new AD now coming in and Belichick and his entire staff, they’ll do a helluva job.”
If Belichick is going to hit the ground running with the Tar Heels, he will need to upgrade a team that went 6-7 last year, lost its best offensive playmaker to the NFL Draft and has dealt with a lot of turnover in the transfer portal.
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One of the biggest reasons for hope in Year 1 of the Belichick era is South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez. He was handpicked by Belichick to lead the Tar Heels’ offense after throwing for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 66% of his passes last year. Lopez also ran for 465 yards and seven touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry.
As for an ACC Championship Game matchup between North Carolina and Pitt, it doesn’t seem likely. According to FanDuel, the Panthers (+4200) and the Tar Heels (+4600) are longshots to win the conference.
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