Since taking over as the UNC football program's head coach, Bill Belichick, alongside general manager Michael Lombardi, have been very active in the transfer portal.
In fact, as of Saturday morning, the Tar Heels have earned commitments from 9 transfers, as more are expected to follow.
Of course, Belichick's name speaks for itself, but the legendary head coach isn't afraid to pull out all the stops to get the players he wants.
Before signing with Oklahoma, quarterback transfer John Mateer was arguably the most sought-after player available. North Carolina was involved, as Matt Zenitz of 247Sports stated that he was a top target for them.
In fact, Belichick flexed a bit as the Tar Heels recruited Mateer, as Zenitz noted that Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, two of the legends who played for Belichick with the New England Patriots, actually FaceTimed Mateer to help with the recruiting effort.
Oklahoma had competition for the No. player in the portal. UNC identified him as a top target - “They were high enough on John Mateer that Belichick pulled out all the stops. Had former Patriot players like Gronk & Tom Brady FaceTiming with him.” - @mzenitz @JTalty @247Sports pic.twitter.com/rvv3BiDi4q
— Emily Proud (@emily_proud) December 20, 2024
To me, that's a rather big flex!
It goes to show that North Carolina is serious about landing top-tier talent, as Belichick isn't shy about using his resources to help make his case stronger. While Mateer ended up committing to the Sooners, you can't say it's due to a lack of effort from the UNC football program, as it's evident they put the full-court press on in this recruitment.
I don't know about you- but if I was a quarterback recruit and I got a call from Tom Brady, I'd have a tough time saying no to the UNC football program!