It was no surprise when Bill Belichick found another football head coaching job, but what did come as a shock was when he decided to make the move to college. Belichick is set to enter his first season as head coach for the University of North Carolina, with the season opener set for Sept. 1 against TCU.

In an interview with the Boston Globe, Belichick opened up about his decision to move to college, which led to him stepping away from the NFL after a very distinguished career.

“I enjoy it. I’ve always wanted to be in college football,” Belichick told the Globe. “I grew up in college football. This is a great university, it’s a great opportunity here. The kids are great, they work hard, they want to be good, and they try. Working with a lot of people I like to work with, and I enjoy coming to work every day. That’s an important quality of life.”

He’s brought along some familiar faces, with both of his sons joining the staff, along with Michael Lombardi serving as general manager, and Moses Cabrera as the conditioning coach. Plus, Jamie Collins, who played for Belichick for seven seasons, is now UNC’s linebackers coach.

“It’s a much more cohesive, and I’d say unified, view of what we’re trying to do and how we’re trying to do it,” Belichick explained. “It’s a lot of football, and there’s not much in your way.”

And he seems to be enjoying how different the college landscape is from the NFL.

“There’s no owner, there’s no owner’s son, there’s no cap, everything that goes with the marketing and everything else, which I’m all for that. But it’s way less of what it was at that level,” Belichick said. “Generic NFL teams, you have the owner, president, general manager, personnel director, college director, pro director, cap guy, some other consultant, then head coach. I’d say when we had our best years in New England, we had fewer people and more of a direct vision. And as that expanded, it became harder to be successful.”

So, with a new team to lead, does Belichick plan to watch any Patriots games this season?

“Honestly, I’m pretty busy here,” he quipped when speaking with the Globe.

It may be a new school, but it’s still the same Belichick.

College Football

Veteran Cleveland Browns reporter’s viral joke about Bill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson still making waves days later

Mary Kay Cabot’s joke about Bill Belichick has caused quite a reaction from the public.

Sophie Weller