Bill Belichick Hires Former NFL GM for Same Position at UNC

Belichick is bringing Michael Lombardi to Chapel Hill as the football program's general manager.

Belichick celebrates after Super Bowl LI where the New England Patriots beat the Atlanta Falcons in Houston / Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bill Belichick has been the North Carolina Tar Heels' head coach for mere hours and he's already making big moves.

Belichick will bring Michael Lombardi along to Chapel Hill as the football program's general manager. As general manager roles become essential at the collegiate level in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, Lombardi will help oversee UNC's recruiting and marketing initiatives as Belichick's right-hand man.

VSiN, where Lombardi has worked as a host since 2018, reported that he will join Belichick. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport mentioned Lombardi was essential in helping Belichick land the UNC job.

Mike Lombardi was essential in helping Bill Belichick land at UNC. Now, he’s does, too. https://t.co/SiHxzwXJt0

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 12, 2024

“I’m excited to join Coach Belichick at North Carolina,” Lombardi said via VSiN. “Although leaving my VSiN family will be hard, I’m excited to return to helping build a winning program. I’m forever thankful for all the great people at VSiN, especially Bill Adee and the Musburger family.”

Lombardi has worked as a football executive for 30 years, including as the Cleveland Browns general manager and vice president in 2013. He worked with Belichick with the New England Patriots as an assistant to the coaching staff from 2014 to '16. Lombardi also worked with the San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles.

“He’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with and was a huge asset to me for the two years that he was here," Belichick once said of Lombardi via VSiN. "He studies football, and he knows it very well.”

Now, the two will look to charter a new territory in college football's NIL era.

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