NFL legend Bill Belichick is coaching practices again. Only now he's a college rookie at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, a familiar home for the man who won six Super Bowls as an NFL head coach. Only now the setting is a small college town. And instead of that familiar hoodie, he was instead decked in a navy blue short-sleeved quarter-zip top and ballcap, along with mesh shorts in that distinctive shade of Carolina blue. The 72-year-old is a rookie in college coaching, opening his first set of spring practices this week since taking over at North Carolina as part of that school's audacious bet to upgrade its football program. "That's the great thing about being a head coach — I can coach anybody I want," Belichick quipped at his pre-practice news conference Wednesday. "I can coach the line, I can yell at the tight ends, I can yell at the DBs, I can yell at the kickers. "I can go to any group I want and coach them. And honestly, that's the fun part." When the news conference ended, Belichick started to walk away from the podium when he realized he left his whistle behind. He paused, picked it up and blew a short quick chirp — offering a bit of a symbolic start to spring drills for the media, anyway. Belichick was hired in December and had a signed contract for a five-year deal — though only the first three years are guaranteed with $10 million annually in base and supplemental salary — a month later. The goal is to build a pro-style model at the college level, creating what amounts to a "33rd" NFL team as general manager and former NFL executive Michael Lombardi put it last month. He had continued appearances on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" and had been spotted in social media posts from the recruiting trail or attending men's basketball games at the Smith Center, but he hadn't spoken to local reporters since his introductory news conference nearly three months ago. The Tar Heels opened spring practices Tuesday, then let media members watch about 20 minutes of Wednesday's practice — though Belichick stood behind the end zone roughly 50-plus yards away from where they were allowed to observe. Throw in the fact that the players aren't wearing numbers, and it was hard to pick up much of anything in that brief window. His news conference proved more revealing in that regard, with Belichick providing fuller answers than the terse and grumpy responses he was known for with the New England Patriots. That included talking about the new wrinkle for him of having spring practices in pads at the college level, something that wasn't the case in the NFL. He pointed to his time being around the Washington program as the Huskies prepared to enter the Big Ten before this past season. His son, Steve, worked there as defensive coordinator and Belichick said the progress made during those sessions last spring was "remarkable." Now he gets to try it with his own program in Chapel Hill. "The response has been great," Belichick said of connecting with teenagers and college-age players as opposed to NFL veterans in their mid- or late-30s. "It's kind of similar to what a rookie minicamp would be and time with the rookies. Granted, those kids are a little bit older, but they're coming in from all different programs and different situations. "So it's starting to put everything together: here's how we do things, here's what our expectations are, this is what you need to do to be successful. They've embraced that, they've tried to do it." Belichick teamed with quarterback Tom Brady during most of his 24-year tenure with the Patriots that included those six titles, most recently coming in the 2018 season. That run in Foxborough ended after the 2023 season, leaving Belichick with 333 career regular-season and postseason wins to trail Don Shula by just 14 for the NFL record. He had been linked to NFL jobs after his exit from the Patriots, but nothing materialized — and soon, Belichick had made his first jump into college football after the Tar Heels moved on from Mack Brown as the winningest coach in program history. UNC formally announced his coaching staff earlier this week, featuring a mix of NFL and college experience. The list includes former Cleveland Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens as a holdover from Mack Brown's staff, as well as sons Steve (defensive coordinator/linebackers) and Brian (defensive backs/safeties). Belichick said it's too early to know how things will go with roster management for the upcoming season, including when it comes to the transfer portal for additions and departures after the 15-practice spring session concludes April 12. UNC's longer-range target is a college-version of Monday Night Football, with the Tar Heels hosting TCU on Labor Day to open Belichick's tenure. "We'll go out there and do what we do and see what happens, see how it goes," Belichick said. "I know we have a good plan. I know we can do the right things to help the players improve, help the team improve and put a good product on the field."