Bill Belichick has eight Super Bowl rings and 333 career wins. The 73-year-old coaching legend called the North Carolina Tar Heels “the 33rd NFL franchise” when he took over in December 2024. Five games into his college career, the Tar Heels are 2-3, with losses to TCU, UCF, and Clemson by a combined 120-33.
The buyout talk changed when sources close to Belichick claimed he was blindsided by speculation that UNC officials were already exploring exit options.
Bill Belichick Faces Chaos at North Carolina Tar Heels Amid Buyout Rumors and Relationship Drama
The 48-14 beatdown against TCU in Week 1 marked the most points Belichick has ever surrendered as a head coach. Local reports, citing communication breakdowns between coaches and players, labeled the program “an unstructured mess.”
Welcome to Chapel Bill, North Carolina pic.twitter.com/5m0CnkDLtY
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 2, 2025
Assistant coach Armond Hawkins was suspended for violating NCAA rules by handing out unauthorized sideline passes.
Both Belichick and UNC dropped a joint statement claiming they remain “fully committed” to each other. The program pays him $10.1 million annually, making him the ninth-highest paid coach in college football.
Sources told media outlets that Belichick felt “surprised” when the buyout chatter started making rounds. The struggles run deeper than just wins and losses.
A former North Carolina official filed a lawsuit alleging Belichick got hired illegally by the university. Hulu shelved a docuseries about his first season at UNC after the streaming service and university couldn’t align on creative direction.
The dysfunction keeps piling up while Belichick tries rebuilding a program that expected immediate results from an NFL legend.
NFL Fans Go Wild on Bill Belichick’s College Coaching Debut and Personal Life Choices
The internet lost it when footage showed 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson working as Belichick’s publicist while appearing on UNC sidelines. Their relationship became public after a CBS interview featuring the couple blew up online.
Fans didn’t hold back their opinions on the 49-year age gap and Belichick’s college coaching performance.
One fan wrote, “Belichick is a JOKE since he started dating that Child that’s making an absolute FOOL out him! Nobody has respect for him anymore.”
Another claimed, “Belichick is the most overrated coach in history of sports he was Tom Brady’s puppet.”
A third pointed out, “Hard to win with no talent and no Tom Brady!”
The North Carolina football fans are BOYCOTTING Bill Belichick’s horrific ‘leadership’ and coaching… they left the stadium empty at halftime, it’s official he’s the most overrated coach in the history of sports
pic.twitter.com/gCaS2aV3K6— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) October 4, 2025
The criticism keeps flowing as Belichick’s college experiment faces mounting pressure. UNC got outscored 28-3 in the first quarter alone against Clemson, giving up 14 points on the opponent’s first four plays.
The program lost to three Power 4 teams by an average of 29 points per game. The legendary coach who dominated the NFL for 24 years now faces questions about whether his system translates to college football without elite NFL talent executing it.
