SI says what everyone is thinking. There's nothing more fascinating in college football this year than Bill Belichick and UNC football.
Pat Forde put together his list of the 25 Most Intriguing Coaches in College Football and there was no doubt that Belichick was going to be No. 1.
Column: The Most Intriguing Lists are back. First up, the 25 Most Intriguing College Football Coaches of 2025. No. 1 is an unprecedented situation, and there is plenty more intrigue that follows. https://t.co/u5wTT4lxdE
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) August 11, 2025
Forde writes: "A six-time Super Bowl champion coach parachuting into the college game for the first time at age 73 is beyond intriguing—it’s completely fascinating, and without precedent...With major roster turnover from a 6–7 team, nobody knows how well this will work in Year 1."
He continues by saying as long as Belichick can recruit, relate to the players and stay interested, he'll win at a high level. Most people with an ounce of sense will agree with Forde. No one is denying that this is a big adjustment for Belichick, and it might not initially work.
But Belichick is too good of a coach to stay down for very long, so even if the Tar Heels stumble early in the season, it wouldn't surprise anyone if they turned things around by the end of the year.
Belichick matches Prime’s intrigue, but it's different
Forde had Colorado coach Deion Sanders at No. 2 and there have been some parallels drawn between Coach Prime's entry into college football and what Belichick is doing. The intrigue is very similar, and I expect, if Carolina gets off to a fast start, the follow-up will be just as wild as it was when Colorado beat TCU in the season opener in 2023.
But where the difference lies is that Deion was a complete unknown as a coach outside a couple of seasons at Jackson State. Belichick is walking into a new environment, but his credentials as a coach run deep. I mean he's won SIX Super Bowls. He's the most accomplished coach in NFL history. Everyone knows that if it strictly came down to a game of X's and O's, Belichick is probably the winner.
College football, however, often comes down to a lot of elements, none bigger than the ability to get a group of young men on the same page each week.
And everyone wants to see how Belichick gets it done.