Ravens LB, Former Patriot Reacts to Bill Belichick's UNC Hire

Longtime Baltimore Ravens foe Bill Belichick is taking his game to the collegiate level.

Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick holds up the sweatshirt worn by his father when he was an assistant coach at New North Carolina Tar Heels new at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

In a year full of surprises in the football world, nothing beats Bill Belichick going to the collegiate level.

The longtime New England Patriots head coach and Baltimore Ravens nemesis is indeed returning to coaching, just not in a way anyone expected. Rather than waiting for an NFL opening, Belichick is taking his talents to Chapel Hill to become head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. Even after his introductory press conference, it still feels surreal to see the legendary head coach with a college team.

More than anything, Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy, who won two Super Bowls in five seasons with Belichick's Patriots, is surprised to see the NFL seemingly turn its back on arguably the greatest head coach in league history.

"I feel like they should be begging at his door from what he's been able to do over his career," Van Noy said. "But it looks like not, and it looks like he got everything he wanted at North Carolina. He's going to bring a crew down there, and I'm excited to see it and go check him out at Chapel Hill.

"It's kind of crazy that the NFL looks like it doesn't want him in. I'm a big Belichick fan, not just him as a person, but him as a coach. He knows football. He's going to teach and develop kids."

Belichick is known for his tough-love attitude, which could be a culture shock for collegiate athletes. However, Van Noy believes the players will grow to appreciate that approach, much the same as NFL players did before them.

"Kids that want to be treated like grown-ups, like they always say and claim they want, he's going to treat you that way," Van Noy said.

"Knowing that, they're going to get taught the right way. They're going to get taught the fundamentals of football. … I'm excited for him to pass the knowledge on to college players. They'll be coming very, very prepared into the NFL."

Belichick won six Super Bowls over his legendary run in New England and has 333 career wins (regular season and playoffs), 14 shy of Don Shula for the most in NFL history. It will take a lot of work for Belichick to have that kind of success in college, but Van Noy believes he absolutely can make it happen.

"Obviously, college is a different beast, but I'm never going to count him out," Van Noy said. "Just his work ethic, and he loves football. He loves football, and it shows by going back to college. It's not about being in the NFL chasing his record, going for Don Shula. It's about the love of the game."

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