Bill Belichick’s tenure as the UNC head football coach has been full of twists and turns since his shocking hiring to lead the program in Dec. 2024. Since arriving in Chapel Hill, the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach has attracted national attention — for both Carolina’s on-field prospects and headlines around his book tour and personal life.
Check out the full chronology of Belichick’s time with the Tar Heels, from initial rumblings of his candidacy to the latest events. Events are shared in reverse order so the latest updates are at the top of the page.
2025
May 16: Belichick appears on ABC’s “Good Morning America” with anchor and NFL Hall of Famer Michael Strahan. The 73-year-old Belichick credits 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson with being “very helpful” in the writing of his book and says, “She does the business things that don’t relate to North Carolina that come up in my life so I can concentrate on football.”
May 14: Boise State linebacker Andrew Simpson, a former starter and third team All-American with the Broncos, commits to UNC out of the transfer portal. A full list of those arrivals can be found here.
May 13: The Washington Post publishes an article titled, “Bill Belichick, Jordan Hudson and the making of a PR disaster.” The article quotes an unnamed UNC official as saying “We just don’t know what’s coming. Those two decide what they’re going to do and they do it… the football side of Bill and now the public side of Bill have become two different things, and she is in charge of the public side.”
May 13: Belichick is interviewed by ESPN’s Christine Williamson on SportsCenter. He says Hudson “doesn’t have anything to do with UNC football.” When asked about the team itself, Belichick says, “The kids have worked really hard. We’ve made a lot of progress on the field and in training… hopefully we have a lot more improvement to make.”
May 12: Sports Illustrated reports UNC is hiring Brandon Faber, former public relations chief for the NFL’s Chicago Bears, to work with Belichick.
May 9: Meadowlark Media journalist Pablo Torre reports Hudson has been “banned” from the UNC football facilities, citing sources within the program. UNC releases a statement later that day saying Hudson is “welcome” at the facilities, though it does clarify that Hudson is not a university employee. Torre stands by his reporting.
April 30: The New York Post publishes a story on Hudson’s background. It describes how she has amassed a real estate portfolio worth about $8 million since meeting Belichick. The story also reports Hudson’s parents formerly ran a fishing business, which went bankrupt after their fishing grounds closed in 2000. Today, Hudson’s mother reportedly manages a sex-toy shop and museum.
April 30: Belichick releases a statement through UNC, decrying what he calls a “false narrative” presented throughout the CBS Sunday Morning piece. “The final eight-minute segment does not reflect the productive 35-minute conversation we had, which covered a wide range of topics related to my career,” Belichick said. “Instead, it presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true.” CBS responds with its own statement, standing by its reporting.
April 28: TMZ reports Hudson was “impossible to work with” during the CBS Sunday Morning interview, saying she stormed off the set and delayed shooting by 30 minutes. The report also states a follow-up interview with Belichick was called off.
Former NFL head coach Bill Belichick and girlfriend Jordon Hudson, pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
April 27: Belichick’s now-infamous “CBS Sunday Morning” interview with Tony Dokoupil airs. The interview was originally intended to promote Belichick’s new book, “The Art of Winning.” Hudson is shown monitoring the interview, and Dokoupil describes her as a “constant presence.” When Dokoupil asks how Belichick and Hudson met, she interjects with, “We’re not talking about this.”
April 25: The spring window of the transfer portal closes. More than 20 players left UNC in less than two weeks.
April 23: Belichick meets with the media for a third time, this time to announce UNC’s participation in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland against TCU to kick off the 2026 season. He only takes questions relating to the game itself.
April 17: South Alabama quarterback Gio Lopez announces his commitment to UNC out of the transfer portal, Belichick’s first collegiate-level signal-caller he lands out of the portal. Lopez’s commitment follows the departure of former Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, who joined the Tar Heels for spring practice but promptly left following “Practice Like a Pro.” Browne ended up back at Purdue.
Gio Lopez will have three seasons of eligibility in Chapel Hill. (Image via South Alabama Athletics)
April 16: The spring window of the transfer portal opens. Several Tar Heels enter, including some who had only spent the spring practice season with the program. Notable entrants include defensive end Beau Atkinson and linebacker Amare Campbell, both of whom were starters for UNC in 2024.
April 15: The Athletic publishes a report detailing Hudson’s involvement with the football program. Hudson requested to be copied on all emails sent to Belichick. She notably instructed UNC administrators to frame the hirings of Steve and Brian Belichick in such a light as to discourage any notions of nepotism on the part of the university. The emails also show the 73-year-old Belichick frustrated with depictions of him as a “predator” for his relationship with the 24-year-old Hudson.
April 12: UNC hosts “Practice Like a Pro” at Kenan Stadium in place of a traditional Spring Game. It marked the end of the spring practice season for the football program. Players appeared without numbers and went through several drills, including two-minute situations, 11-on-11 plays, kickoffs and punts. Past spring games more resembled scrimmages with unique scoring rules and timing. No coaches, players or administrators were made available for comment after UNC’s “Practice Like a Pro.”
March 5: Belichick hosts his first press conference at the Kenan Football Center. Including his introductory press conference, it’s the head coach’s second media availability session as a UNC employee. Media are then allowed to film and photograph a brief portion of UNC’s practice that afternoon.
March 3: UNC’s “Hard Knocks” negotiations fall through, and NFL Films pulls out of the project. The Athletic later reports that plans were rapidly evolving until a meeting reportedly involving Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson derailed the negotiations.
March 3: Belichick finalizes his UNC coaching staff. It includes his two sons, Steve and Brian, who will respectively serve as defensive coordinator and the defensive backs/safeties coach. Freddie Kitchens is retained as offensive coordinator, the lone holdover from Mack Brown’s core coaching staff, and former offensive analyst and UNC star Natrone Means becomes the running backs coach.
February 28: The Athletic and other outlets report UNC is to be featured on the first ever collegiate edition of HBO’s football show “Hard Knocks.”
2024
December 28: UNC loses 27-14 to UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl to end the 2024 season, with Belichick not in attendance. Tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens served as interim head coach during the game. It is the football program’s fifth straight loss in a bowl game.
December 14: Belichick speaks to UNC fans at halftime of the Tar Heels’ men’s basketball game vs. La Salle at the Dean Smith Center. He also introduces incoming freshman quarterback Bryce Baker — one of the highest-profile UNC incoming recruits who decided to remain committed to the program after Belichick’s hiring and Mack Brown’s firing.
Bryce Baker joins Bill Belichick on the Roy Williams Court after being introduced to fans at the UNC’s men’s basketball game vs. La Salle on December 14. Baker signed his official commitment to play for UNC after delaying the formal step once Mack Brown was fired. (Image via Todd Melet)
December 12: UNC hosts an introductory press conference for Belichick at Kenan Stadium. His salary is $10 million per year, making him the highest-paid public employee in the state of North Carolina. The contract also includes a sharp drop in Belichick’s personal buyout (that is, the price Belichick would pay the university for leaving the job) on June 1, 2025, when the buyout drops from $10 million to $1 million.
December 11: UNC officially hires Belichick as its head football coach.
New North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick smiles during an NCAA college football press conference, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Chapel Hill, N.C.. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
December 9: Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall signs a contract extension with the Green Wave program.
December 9: Belichick appears on “The Pat McAfee Show,” acknowledging his ongoing discussions with UNC.
December 8: ESPN reports chancellor Lee Roberts and UNC’s legal team (but not athletic director Bubba Cunningham) meet with Belichick in Massachusetts.
December 7: ESPN reports UNC officials, including Cunningham and Roberts, meet with Sumrall in New Orleans.
December 6: Roberts and Cunningham reportedly become aware of an unofficial offer sheet submitted by John Preyer, chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees, to Belichick in New York.
December 5: The reported date of Preyer’s meeting with Belichick and his submission of the unofficial offer sheet.
December 1: Mack Brown’s official final day as the UNC head coach.
November 30: ESPN reports Cunningham hosts a conference call with university leadership to discuss head coaching candidates, including Sumrall.
November 30: UNC loses to NC State in Brown’s final game. Brown’s postgame comments go against his previous statements saying he would like to continue coaching. After Brown’s farewell press conference, Preyer angrily speaks to the News & Observer’s Chip Alexander, calling the manner of Brown’s dismissal “shameful.”
November 26: UNC announces that Brown will leave the program following the conclusion of the 2024 regular season.
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