Andy's Rant: How will Bill Belichick transition to recruiting high school football players?

Numerous media outlets are reporting the 6-time Super Bowl champion head coach will soon be the new head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels' football program

2017: Bill Belichick celebrates after Super Bowl LI where the New England Patriots vs The Atlanta Falcon at NRG Stadium, Houston. / Bob Breidenbach / USA TODAY NETWORK

The greatest question being asked around college and NFL circles among insiders is if, or maybe when will ,Bill Belichick be named the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels' football program.

That looks to be answered as numerous media outlets are reporting that North Carolina is finalizing a deal to make the 72-year old coaching legend the next lead man of the Tar Heels. For all of his accolades in the NFL, this would be the first time Belichick has ever coached on the collegiate level.

I think many people have an even better question, when Belichick heads to Chapel Hill. How would the 6-time Super Bowl champion recruit high school football players, in today's age?

The topic is one that was even joked about on FOX NFL Sunday's pregame show among Belichick's former players, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman.

When Brady was asked the question if he could see Belichick coaching college football, the 7-time Super Bowl champ responded with a simple one-word answer.

🤣 @TomBrady's Bill Belichick impression is too good @Edelman11 | @RobGronkowski pic.twitter.com/HVaBL5eSzV

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 9, 2024

"No," Brady said—while on the set of FOX NFL Kickoff on Sunday morning with Gronkowski and Edelman sitting to his side.

Brady doubled down on his no when Edelman asked his former quarterback if he could see Belichick recruiting a high school football player.

"Listen, you really wanna come here?" Brady said imitating Belichick. "I mean we don't really want ya anyway, but I guess you could come. We'll figure out if you'll play."

Now it's definitely really tough to see one of the football's greatest minds simply deciding that the NFL just doesn't want to take him back. In a sense it may seem like he is settling for head coaching gig in the college ranks. However, by all accounts, Belichick just wants to coach again and the level doesn't really matter at this point.

"The Bill Belichick talks with North Carolina are real and he met with them for five hours yesterday..

He wants to coach and he's definitely considering the job" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/DLe6wUZEZw

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 9, 2024

Belichick popped up on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday and chimed in himself, on the possibility landing in North Carolina to lead the Tar Heels.

"We'll see," Belichick said. “Capital letters, IF, I-F, I was in a college program, it would be a pipeline for the NFL. It would be an NFL program at the college level and an education that would get them ready for life after football. [Players] would be ready for [the NFL]. It would be an NFL program, but not at the NFL level.”

How would the 72-year old handle recruiting today's high school football players? The game has changed dramatically in the last few years, but in Belichick's case, maybe closer to what he's used to when it comes to the NFL.

Now with NIL playing a major role in recruiting players, Belichick would play the recruiting field more like free agency is handled in the pros. Although his personality that of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders could not be more different, Sanders' Colorado model could be a blueprint for Bellichick on the college level in Chapel Hill.

Perhaps a better comparison with a coach on the college level, when it comes to recruiting high school talent, is former Philadelphia Eagles' head coach Chip Kelly, who is now the offenisve coordinator at Ohio State.

Kelly, who coached at Oregon and UCLA, ended up leaving the latter to take a demotion to offensive coordinator when he arrived at Ohio State, with recruiting and NIL being factors forcing him to want to get back to just coaching.

"I’m excited to just do my job," Kelly said back in March after he joined Ohio State. "I don’t need to do anything else. I don’t need to do the other things that a head coach needs to do. I just get to coach quarterbacks and be with them every day. This group of quarterbacks we have here is awesome."

'What I Wanted To Do!' Chip Kelly Opens Up About Joining Ohio State

Both Kelly and Belichick had close ties when the latter was at New England and the former was at Oregon then onto the NFL scene. Belichick certainly a guy who just wants to coach and not have to deal so much with the extracirriculars surrounding college football I.E. recruiting.

Belichick does, however, have connections in the high school game and if you don't think so, think about when the Maryland native went and visited IMG Academy's practice ahead of their regular season game against Bergen Catholic and also attended the contest in Ocean City, New Jersey. Knowing guys like IMG's Billy Miller gives Belichick an immediate pipeline to one of the top high school football programs in the land.

Bill Belichick attends IMG Academy football practice

Don't worry about how would Belichick be able to take a program from the bottom and into contention for a national championship as the Transfer Portal has made going from worst to first a feasible thing. Once again, someone like Sanders, a former NFL'er himself, has utilized well in taking Colorado from bottom dwellers to a winner in Boulder.

Yes, Belichick may not be a long-term head coach at North Carolina ahead of his 73rd birthday coming up April 16th, but he has a plan for that too to ease any high schooler considering the Tar Heels.

Belichick's son, Steve, currently is the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington and has plenty of coaching experience under his father during their time together in New England. Learning and growing up under the tutelage of one of the best coaches of all time and the younger Belichick possibly becoming the successor, leaves in place a long-term plan.

According to numerous reports, the contract negotiations include the younger Belichick being the coach-in-waiting behind his father whenever he decides to retire from coaching.

The idea Belichick will be be back coaching and on the college scene and going after the top stars on the high school football gridiron is something to behold.

Belichick's 'We'll see' is now turning into a full reality and the new nickname of 'Chapel Hill Bill' is already one starting to stick.

One of football's greatest coaches of all time is returning and now all eyes will be on how he tackles recruiting high school football players to the Tar Heels.

Let the fun begin.

Pat Forde: Why Bill Belichick Coaching North Carolina Makes Sense

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi