We heard plenty of names in the UNC football program's head coaching search.
From Matt Campbell to Steve Wilks, there were plenty of names that were being floated around as potential options for the Tar Heels. However, six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick was named the head coach, putting an end to all the speculation.
While Belichick has officially been named the program's next leader, an interesting report surfaced as to who was considered a "favorite" to land the job if Belichick didn't take the position.
Had talks between Bill Belichick and North Carolina broken down, Browns passing game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees was considered the favorite to land the Tarheels head coaching job, per league sources. Rees interviewed for the NC HC job twice, and had Nick Saban as…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2024
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that current Cleveland Browns passing game specialist and tight ends coach Tommy Rees was considered to be the Tar Heels' backup plan. Yes, Schefter messed up with his spelling of "Tar Heels," but given his reputation, the information he shares is typically spot-on.
According to Schefter, Rees interviewed twice for the job, and Nick Saban, who Rees worked for, was advocating for him as a potential head coach.
Interesting...
While most of Tar Heel nation seems excited about the hiring of Belichick, I think there would've been mixed reviews if Rees ended up being the guy. Sure, he's considered to be one of the "high rising" coaching prospects, but given that he has no prior head coaching experience, fans definitely would have preferred hiring a coach with more experience, especially being the lead guy.
We can put the speculation of the head coaching search behind as Bill Belichick is officially the guy. Given that he seemed to have impressed during his interviews, maybe there will be a spot for Tommy Rees on Belichick's coaching staff once its all said and done.