Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian was among the many shocked when Bill Belichick was hired as the coach of UNC's football team. Sarkisian initially thought the "rumblings" of Belichick going to UNC were him trying to leverage a job in the NFL, until Belichick actually took the job and was officially hired.
Sarkisian is excited to see Belichick join college football as a head coach, believing that his addition reflects the direction the sport is heading in.
"I think it talks a little bit about college football and where we're at," Sarkisian told Kay Adams on Up & Adams. "Chip Kelly goes to be an assistant coach with Ryan Day, now he's in the NFL, Bill Belichick's now coaching college football, Matt Patricia is now a defensive coordinator at Ohio State. Just the idea and the thought behind where college football is at today is pretty exciting. “Here one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time is coaching our game now because he sees the value in it is pretty cool."
.@CoachSark was “SURPRISED” to hear Bill Belichick was going to UNC, but says it speaks to where college football is headed. 👇
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) February 21, 2025
“Here one of the greatest…of all time is coaching our game now because he sees the value in it.” 💪@heykayadams @Belichick_B pic.twitter.com/ivj11ujpl3
Sarkisian worked in the NFL most recently as an offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2017-18, but after an unsuccessful stint, returned to college football where he has led Texas to becoming a College Football Playoff team. He is one of several coaches that has come to college football from the NFL in recent years, including Belichick, Eric Bieniemy, and Kelly.
Sarkisian and Belichick won't directly compete as the two coach in different conferences, but Belichick could certainly impact the college football landscape. He will bring his expertise from decades of experience as a Super Bowl-winning head coach to UNC, where he looks to create success at the college level.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steve Sarkisian Breaks Down Why He's Excited to See Bill Belichick Coach at UNC.
