Belichick Officially Accepts the UNC Job. The Tar Heels Football Dynasty Has Begun.

CJ GUNTHER. Shutterstock Images.

And so it has happened. The outcome most of us - especially me -  thought was improbable, if not straight up impossible:

... has become reality.

It's all still very new. And there's a lot to process here. But it's safe to say that in order to make the most unlikely pivot of his storied career and accept this job, Belichick laid out a ton of conditions:

And presumably, the Tar Heels met his demands.

According to completely unconfirmed (at this time) reports on X, one of those demands included UNC hiring Steve Belichick away from Washington, naming him as defensive coordinator and head coach-in-waiting. We'll know soon enough. 

But what we do know for sure, without fear of contradiction, is that Bill Belichick is the man we loyalists always knew him to be. One who cares less than nothing about being a media star (which he is), chasing Don Shula's record (which he's close to), proving himself without Brady (which is not a factor), or enjoying the life of leisure he's lived in the Year of Belichick (which he has). He just wants to coach football. Period. Hard stop. 

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Being away from the game as just a casual observer is not for him. He's still his father's son. The one who learned the ropes of breaking down game film at Belichick the Elder's knee at Naval Academy. He's that guy who wants to be spinning a whistle around his hand in July practices, telling stories about working for Ted Marchibroda during the stretching period. He wants to be pulling some raw roster bubble guy aside and giving him some minor coaching point. He wants to be on one knee in front of the bench with a white board, showing his defensive line what he's looking for during the next series. 

Simply put, he's a football coach. And being something other than a football coach was a crime against nature. Even if it means taking the job of leading a program that hasn't won as much as a conference title since 1980, he's in. And the football world is a much better place with him in it. 

So congratulations to my close, personal friend.

I look forward to watching him coach UNC in the National Championship Game next year. Today, we are all Tar Heels.