By R.L. Bynum
Former North Carolina head coach Mack Brown appeared on “The Colin Cowherd Show” this week and shared his thoughts on Bill Belichick’s move to college football as his successor, the state of UNC athletics and what made quarterback Drake Maye special.
Brown, who coached the Tar Heels for 16 seasons across two stints, said the program is positioned for success like never before, and Belichick is the right man to take advantage.
“I think he has a chance to win big and win big fast,” Brown told Cowherd on Wednesday.
Brown pointed out that the university’s leadership has made an unprecedented commitment to football.
“Chancellor Lee Roberts is committed to football. Big time,” Brown said. “For the first time in North Carolina history, they are really wanting football to be good, so they’re all in and that gives them a chance to be successful.”
College football presents different challenges for Belichick, but Brown said that he thinks the current state of the game, dominated by the transfer portal and NIL, plays to the former New England Patriots coach’s strengths.
“Bill is arguably the best coach of any sport,” Brown said. “When you win that many Super Bowls, the man can coach, he can evaluate.”
Brown said that reflects the significant changes in the college game.
“Administrators don’t like to say it, but we have pro football at some level in college,” he said. “We no longer have amateurism. We have payment scales. We’ve got kids asking for money. They have agents. There’s negotiations.”
Because of that shift, Brown said Belichick can thrive quickly.
“The fact that we are much more like the NFL than ever before will really help Bill with this transition,” Brown said. “Every coach wants his own players now. You’ve got money, you can evaluate, and bring in who you want.”
While acknowledging players deserve compensation, Brown worries about what it’s doing to the balance of power.
“I do think the major programs, the brand programs that are going to have the majority of the money — it’s going to ruin the competitive balance in college football,” he said. “We’re going to have the same 15 playing at the end.”
Brown pointed out that even teams with resources face challenges when building through the portal.
“If you’ve got money and you buy a team, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win,” Brown said. “Number one, you got to buy the right ones. Number two, they’ve all got to fit well in that locker room. You’ve got to mesh together as a team, which is hard in a short period of time.”
Brown said the transition for Belichick won’t be easy, given the 20-hour limit on practice and meetings, but noted that Belichick’s ability to adapt is what makes him special.
“He can evaluate, and he understands roster building better than anyone,” Brown said. “Now that you can bring in transfers and pay them, that’s right up his alley.”
Cowherd asked Brown what makes second-year New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye so good. Brown said that, beyond Maye’s arm strength and size, it was his competitive nature that separated him from the rest.
“He said when he was a kid, he had to fight for food,” Brown said with a laugh. “He had all his brothers in there, so everything he did, he would have to compete and fight.”
That competitiveness carried over into everything, even table tennis.
“One day, I walked into the players’ lounge and there was a broken pingpong paddle,” Brown recalled. “I said, ‘Who broke the paddle?’ He’s sitting over in the corner. They all pointed to Drake. I said, ‘Drake, why’d you break the paddle?’ He said, ‘The tight end beat me in ping pong!’ ”
Brown said that shows his intensity, regardless of the activity.
“He is so competitive,” Brown said. “He’s smart, he’s got a great heart. He is a wonderful team leader. He’ll have that locker room fighting for him every minute. I just love him. I think he’s a quarterback that’s going to win a Super Bowl.”
You can listen to the entire interview here. It starts at 2:55.
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
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