The revelation that legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick has interviewed for North Carolina’s vacant head coaching job has been met with the inevitable jokes about his 23-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.
“Belichick is just trying to find college girls to date,” one fan wrote on X, echoing a joke made by many others.
—Your girlfriend committed to UNC? asked another.
One fan commented that Belichick would take the job to be “closer to his girlfriend.”
The legendary Patriots coach has been away from the sideline since he and New England parted ways in January after 24 seasons. But according to Carolina insideBelichick has now interviewed for the UNC head coaching job, in what would be a surprising route back to football. The report comes after the Tar Heels fired former coach Mack Brown.
The 72-year-old has been dating Hudson, a former college cheerleader, for several months, sparking rumors that the couple could be headed toward marriage despite their half-century age difference.
The 72-year-old has been dating Hudson, a former college cheerleader, for several months.
Belichick has never coached at the college level, while Hudson recently graduated.
The revelation that legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick interviewed for North Carolina’s vacant head coaching job has been met with the inevitable jokes about his girlfriend.
Belichick has coached in the NFL since the late 1970s, but has never worked at the college level.
Belichick has never coached at the college level, although his son, Stephen, is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington. It’s unclear if Belichick’s potential move to Chapel Hill could result in a position for Stephen, who previously coached with his father in Foxborough.
Additionally, UNC is better known for its storied basketball program than its football program, and the Tar Heels have not had double-digit wins in a season since 2015.
Inside Carolina added that Belichick is one of several candidates who have interviewed for the position, including Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall and Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann.
Belichick interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons head coaching job after leaving the Patriots in early 2024. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan also offered him the opportunity to be the 49ers’ defensive coordinator before to reject the position.
Ultimately, he found himself without a coaching job for this season and instead filled his time with various media roles, including appearances on ESPN’s Monday Night Football ‘Manningcast’ and ‘Inside the NFL’ on the CW.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported that Belichick was expected to be “demanding” when choosing a possible next job.
Belichick was the de facto general manager of the Patriots, in addition to his coaching duties, and had an immense amount of power and influence in New England.
If Belichick prefers to return to the NFL rather than try his luck in the college ranks, there are expected to be many open positions, as Sports Illustrated reporter Albert Breer said. predicted on the Dan Patrick show that there will be between 7 and 10 head coaching vacancies.
The Jets, Saints and Bears have already fired their coaches, while the Jaguars, Giants and Cowboys could do the same.