Exploiting a landmark court ruling, the legendary coach seeks a competitive edge by recruiting professional talent to bolster the Tar Heels’ roster ahead of a high-stakes season.
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick isn't shying away from a controversial topic hitting the NCAA with just days to go before his Tar Heels fly to Dublin, Ireland, to play TCU in Week 0 on Saturday.
A judge in Louisiana granted a temporary restraining order for 16 athletes from the class of 2022 to return to college football this fall, including several players who signed contracts with league teams. Some have even taken snaps in the preseason this month.
Belichick told reporters on Friday that UNC has looked at potentially bringing in multiple players for the upcoming season.
"We've looked at a number of them," Belichick said, via 247Sports. "Each case is a little bit different. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I don't think there's anything we're counting on, but we're always open to anything that will help the team."
Belichick, facing heavy criticism after a 4-8 record in 2025, has nothing to lose by trying to beef up his roster this season. North Carolina needs elite players to compete against a tough schedule to start the season.
UNC's general manager, Michael Lombardi, is on paid administrative leave, so it's unclear who will be making that business decision for the Tar Heels this week.
Those players would have to quickly learn Belichick's system to make an impact early in the season when UNC plays Clemson, No. 4 Notre Dame, Pitt, and Duke by Oct. 17.
Belichick's willingness to add former NFL players comes when many of his coaching peers, like SMU's Rhett Lashlee and Oregon's Dan Lang, are appalled by the idea of former league athletes returning to college football.
“I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around this,” Lanning said. “One, once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back. Two, most of us have built our rosters, and you have a limited roster limit now.
"So if you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team to match your roster limits. I don’t think that’s fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team to have somebody come back."
Lanning, at the helm of a roster that has a chance to win the national title, is in a much different position than Belichick. For coaches like Belichick, adding former NFL players might be the best shot at retaining a job in 2027.
