Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris shared a bold, yet fair, assessment of Bill Belichick’s fit as the possible next head coach for North Carolina.
Harris, who was drafted by the Patriots in the third round in 2019, prefaced his comments by showing the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach a ton of respect. But he ultimately called Belichick a “control freak” who would have to adapt to the ever-changing environment as a college football coach.
“I mean this in the most respectful way possible. Bill is a control freak. Bill has to have absolute control,” Harris said on The Athletic’s “Until Saturday” podcast. “…When he was in New England, he was the head coach. He was essentially our GM. He wore a lot of hats. On college football, it doesn’t really work that way. Another thing I point at is at the end of Bill’s tenure in New England, I think the ultimate reason why the two sides parted ways was because Bill did not really evolve with the times of the NFL.
“And if he didn’t evolve at a position where he had been coaching for over 40 years, I mean, he takes a year or two off, and then you think that he’s going to be able to come to the college world where it’s nothing but survive and adapt every single day? …It just doesn’t really seem like it would be a perfect fit.”
Harris did note that he understood North Carolina’s position in the matter. It would be hard to turn down a coach with Belichick’s incredible resume.
The conversation of fit is fair to question considering Belichick has more of an old-school approach. Would that same coaching style translate to the collegiate level with young men fresh out of high school?
It’ll be a huge adjustment for all parties involved. With that said, there isn’t a coach more qualified for a job than Belichick. If he’s available and the financial part of the equation checks out, it’s hard to envision any school turning him down.
