Less than a week into his new role as North Carolina’s head coach, Bill Belichick is already taking action.
The 72-year-old signed a five-year contract to become UNC’s next head coach last Wednesday and the Belichick era is already underway in Chapel Hill.
Belichick secured his first shot at the transfer portal on Monday when former Holy Cross offensive lineman Christo Kelly committed to UNC. the player announced.
Kelly, a redshirt senior, had been at Holy Cross since 2020. He made the All-Patriot League third team in 2023 as a standout interior offensive lineman, according to Sports Illustrated.
Marking the first transfer under the former New England Patriots head coach, Kelly will likely bring experience to Belichick’s Tar Heels.
Belichick had sparked a flurry of transfer activity earlier Monday when he made his weekly guest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
Bill Belichick signed a five-year contract to become UNC’s next head coach last Wednesday.
Belichick secured his first shot at the transfer portal on Monday when former Holy Cross offensive lineman Christo Kelly (second from left) committed to UNC.
“We’ve been talking to several players and we have more players this week as part of the portal, which closes on Sunday, so we have guys coming in almost every day this week,” Belichick said on the ESPN Show.
“We’re selling the program but, honestly, we’ve had a lot of players and agents come to us saying, ‘We want to be a part of the program.'”
Despite criticism and skepticism about Belichick’s foray into college football, the former NFL coach appears to be embracing the process.
“It’s fun and great to be in North Carolina, and great to be at this great university and get back in the game.” “We’re spending money, not as much as we spend in the NFL,” Belichick continued.
“It’s a new landscape in college football, but honestly not much different; it’s different, but this part of the process is not much different than what we’ve faced in the NFL.”
Belichick had been out of work since ending his legendary 24-year reign as head coach of the New England Patriots earlier this year and failed to land a major job elsewhere in the NFL.
He finally landed in Chapel Hill last week following shocking reports of multiple interviews with the school in New York earlier this month.
Belichick and the university agreed to a five-year contract worth $50 million, making him one of the highest-paid college coaches in terms of annual salary. His salary is also a big jump from the $5 million salary UNC paid Mack Brown in his final season in charge of the program.
This is his first college coaching job after nearly half a century in the NFL, where he won six Super Bowls as head coach of the Patriots.