By R.L. Bynum
Bill Belichick hears from many people who want to come to Carolina, expects to fill out his coaching staff in two weeks with a “strong NFL presence,” and is prepared for a big month for the program.
Those were the biggest takeaways from Belichick’s appearance Monday afternoon on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN.
“A lot of guys into the portal. A lot of people contacting us, want to come to Carolina,” said Belichick, who has already secured 10 transfer portal commitments.
Belichick, who didn’t go to Boston for UNC’s 27–14 Fenway Bowl loss Saturday to UConn, said he’s having fun adjusting to being a college coach.
“It’s been good,” he said. “Really [have] enjoyed it. The school has been great. Chancellor and the staff and administration have really been behind us. Got a lot of positive things going. A lot of players want to come to Carolina, so that’s a good thing.”
Belichick’s segment starts at 1:17 in the above video.
Belichick said that recruits — both high school players and transfer portal players — will visit the UNC campus this Saturday and on Jan. 11.
“The weekend of the fourth, we’re still open on some transfer portal players before school starts, and then just the whole month of January is kind of a big recruiting month,” said Belichick, adding that he’s working on the high school recruiting class of 2026. “Still some portal guys that will be left over and [we’ll] start the offseason program with players that we have and get things rolling there. So it’s a big month for us.”
Besides General Manager Mike Lombardi, Freddie Kitchens and his son Steve Belichick as the defensive coordinator, Belichick has plenty of spots to fill but is playing a waiting game as coaches finish their seasons.
“I’ll really start to move on that this week and next week,” Bill Belichick said. “A lot of coaches that are potentially available that will be on the staff are either still involved in college football bowl games, playoffs or still involved in the NFL, which we still have another week of the regular season, and then some of them are in the playoffs as well.
“We’ll see how that plays out,” he said. “But there’ll be a strong NFL presence on the staff, but not exclusively. We have some other people too that we’re working on. So, try to put together the best that we can — coaches that will help the players and help produce winning football at Carolina.”
Belichick said that building a roster isn’t more difficult than it was at New England, where he won six Super Bowl titles, but said there are a lot of contrasts.
“It’s just different, but it’s good,” he said. “You feel like you’re just talking to younger players who have the same aspirations of being good and developing their career in college football to lead to the NFL, as opposed to college players who are actually out of eligibility and heading into the NFL. So, it’s a little bit different conversation. But it’s kids that want to be good, kids that love football, and kids that want to play for your team, whether it’s New England or Carolina. It’s a lot of the same thing.”
Unlike when he was an NFL coach, he’s recruiting not only players but also parents, high school coaches, and the people who train the players.
He compared this time of year for a college football coach to two periods during the NFL calendar. One is the time before NFL free agency opens, when there is a lot of talk, and the other is the few hours after the NFL draft when teams are trying to re-sign players to fill out rosters and deal with agents and players.
Belichick joked that he’s joined the 21st century by being active on Instagram.
“My Instagram account’s been been busy, so scrolling through that,” he said. “I never thought I’d be saying that.”
Transfer portal transactions
Incoming transfers
(Next season’s classes listed)
Senior defensive lineman Melkart Abou-Jaoude • 6–5, 260 pounds • Delaware
2024: 11 games, 10 tackles, 17 assists, 6.5 sacks for 50 yards, 8 QB hits
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne • 6–4, 210 pounds • Purdue
2024: 8 games, 34 of 76, 532 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 127.5 quarterback rating
Junior tight end Connor Cox • 6–6, 251 pounds • South Carolina
2024: 4 games, 1 catch, 9 yards, 1 TD
Sophomore linebacker Khmori House • 6-0, 213 pounds • Washington
2024: 12 games, 19 tackles, 16 assists, 1 interception, 4 pass breakups, 1 QB hit
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Aziah Johnson • 6–0, 175 pounds • Michigan State
2024: 12 games, 16 catches, 276 yards, 2 touchdowns; 1 rush, 15 yards
Fifth-year center Christo Kelly • 6–4, 305 pounds • Holy Cross
2024: Started 12 games, part of line that allowed 1.08 sacks per game, 11th-best in country
Senior offensive lineman Chad Lindberg • 6–6, 315 pounds • Rice (Georgia before that)
2024: Played 11 games after playing 20 games and 139 snaps for Georgia
Sophomore offensive tackle Miles McVay • 6–6, 340 pounds • Alabama
2024: 5 games, 94 snaps
Sophomore defensive tackle C.J. Mims • 6–2, 302 pounds • East Carolina
2024: 12 games, 4 tackles, 19 assists, 1.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Junior place-kicker Adam Samaha • 5–11, 195 pounds • Michigan
2024: didn’t play (Wolverines had Big Ten Kicker of Year Dominic Zvada);
2023: 1 game, 1 extra-point attempt made • Hit 60-yard FG in training (in below video)
Tar Heels entering, exiting portal
(Next season’s classes listed)
Sophomore 6–3, 300-pound offensive lineman Aidan Banfield
2024: 62.8 Pro Football Focus grade best in country among true freshmen
Fifth-year 6–5, 310 fifth-year center Austin Blaske
2024: Started 11 games with Pro Football Focus grade of 85.6
Junior 6–0, 230-pound linebacker Amare Campbell
2024: 12 games, 42 tackles, 30 assists, 11 tackles for losses, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Fifth-year 5–11, 220-pound running back Caleb Hood
2024: 4 games, 7 carries, 3 yards, 1 catch, 29 yards
Senior 6–1, 190-pound wide receiver Kobe Paysour
2024: 12 games, 19 catches, 330 yards
In the transfer portal
— Offensive linemen Zach Greenberg, Jakiah Leftwich, Malik McGowan, Andrew Rosinski (committed to Georgia Tech), Howard Sampson and Eli Sutton (Austin Peay)
— Running back Jordan Louie
— Quarterbacks Conner Harrell and Michael Merdinger
— Linebackers Ashton Woods and Caleb LaVallee (Florida State)
— Defensive lineman Travis Shaw
— Defensive backs Tyrane Stewart and Ty Adams
— Place-kicker Noah Burnette
Photo via ESPN screenshot
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