The grind does not stop for Bill Belichick. He has hired Will Friend as the offensive line coach for next season's UNC football staff. Friend has experience with Auburn, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Colorado State, Georgia, and just recently Western Kentucky as the offensive coordinator.
ESPN College Football Insider Pete Thamel shared the report:
Veteran offensive line coach Will Friend is expected to finalize a deal to become the offensive line coach at North Carolina. He was OC at Western Kentucky last year and has worked at Auburn, Mississippi State and Tennessee over the years. pic.twitter.com/dYVYlBt9f5
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 15, 2025
Friend will receive his first taste of ACC football and become a part of an already solid coaching staff provided by Belichick.
Here's more on Friend and his coaching experience as written on WKUSports.com:
"Friend most recently served as the Offensive Line Coach at Mississippi State in 2023, and he's also worked in the same role at Auburn from 2021-22 and at Tennessee from 2018-20. He was the Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach at Colorado State from 2015-17 and the Offensive Line Coach at Georgia from 2011-14.
While at Tennessee, Friend developed two-time All-SEC first team lineman and eventual NFL draft pick Trey Smith. In 2019, Friend's unit featured an All-SEC First Team award winner in Smith and two SEC All-Freshman honorees in Wanya Morris and Darnell Wright. Additionally, Morris was named to the 247Sports True Freshman All-America team, and Smith – who didn't allow a sack all year – garnered a pair of SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.
In 2017 at Colorado State, Friend led a unit that ranked 11th in the nation in total offense at 492.5 yards per game. Colorado State's 33.4 points per game in 2017 led the conference and ranked 31st in the nation.
During his final season in Athens in 2014, Friend helped guide a Bulldogs' offense that averaged 41.3 points per game, which ranked eighth nationally, and racked up 457.8 yards of total offense per game.
Overall, Friend has coached nine offensive linemen who have been selected in the NFL Draft."
Friend's resume is quite hefty but reasonably after coaching for many years. Belichick keeps finding ways to present its roster with as much coaching talent as possible. And he is not falling short of that goal.