Some things do not always go according to plan.
Bill Belichick will now need to regroup and find another hire for the unoccupied personnel role on staff. His original target, Taylor Edwards, is expected to be hired by Miami.
CBS Sports National College Football Reporter Matt Zenitz with the report:
Miami is expected to hire Taylor Edwards in a high-ranking personnel role, sources tell @CBSSports/@247Sports.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 4, 2025
Was targeted by UNC too but is set to land at Miami. Edwards, who was previously at South Carolina, was key in constructing the roster that went 9-3 this regular season… pic.twitter.com/NjLEbvEuKA
For further context, here's the kind of guy Belichick was aiming as written on GameCocksOnline:
"Taylor Edwards was named the program’s Director of Player Personnel on Feb. 2, 2021. He comes to Carolina after serving as the Director of Recruiting Operations at Maryland for the past two seasons where he worked with head coach Mike Locksley. Edwards has been instrumental in helping the Terrapins recruit the 31st-ranked class in 2020, and a top-20 recruiting class in 2021."
Prior to his stint at Maryland, Edwards spent one season (2018) as Director of Recruiting at Arkansas, where he worked alongside current Gamecock wide receivers coach Justin Stepp. In his one year in Fayetteville, Edwards helped first-year head coach Chad Morris secure a top-25 recruiting class despite coming off a 2-10 season.
Edwards got his start at Jacksonville State as an assistant in personnel and operations in 2013. He left JSU to become the Director of Recruiting at UAB in 2014. He then served as the Director of Player Personnel at Samford before joining Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2017 as a Player Personnel Assistant."
Yes, Edwards has a hefty resume under his name but it should go without mentioning that he was part of a committed violation during his time with South Carolina. The NCAA violation reached level three, in that regard.
South Carolina Gamecocks On SI's Alex Joyce wrote back in November:
"The South Carolina Gamecocks self-reported and was hit with a NCAA Level III violation on Tuesday stemming from former staff Taylor Edwards, according to a report from the Post and Courier. Per the report, South Carolina will face a one week ban on recruiting, a four day reduction in recruiting in spring of 2025, and rules education to the football staff."
Did the Tar Heels miss out on someone who could've helped them out? Probably, but did they miss out on someone who has a history of NCAA violations? Yes.
It's all about opportunity cost, and it with Belichick at the top — it should not be a problem for him to find another candidate for the job.