Report: ‘Dialed in’ Bill Belichick is not expected to attend UNC’s Fenway Bowl game
According to ESPN, Belichick will skip the game because he is focused on recruiting and concerned about being a distraction.
University of North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick is not expected to attend the Tar Heels’ matchup with UConn in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl Saturday, according to ESPN.
Belichick did not attend Fenway Bowl media day on Friday. Interim coach Freddie Kitchens, who will remain on staff when Belichick takes over, will coach the game.
Although he reportedly won’t be there in person, the Belichick buzz around the game persists. It’s his new team playing a bowl game in the state where he spent 24 years as an NFL head coach.
According to UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham, the six-time Super Bowl champion coach is skipping the game because he does not want to be a distraction.
“He’s totally dialed into building the roster,” Cunningham told ESPN. “He didn’t want to go to practice or be a distraction to the kids or the coaches for the bowl game.”
“It’s been great,” he added. “He and Mike Lombardi have locked themselves in a room and really spent all the time since he’s been announced, building the roster for this spring and next year.”
Belichick has never coached college football. He began his career in the NFL as an assistant with the Colts in 1975. He is stepping into the collegiate game as the landscape continues to shift. Players are able to profit off of the name, image, and likeness deal. The College Football Playoff was expanded to 12 teams.
Some of the giants of college football and basketball coaching, such as Nick Saban and Mike Krzyzewski have left the game in recent years.
Belichick is entering the game with hopes of energizing a UNC program that hasn’t won an ACC football championship in four decades.
“People are excited about the future,” Cunningham said. “We’ve talked about how college sports is really changing. The idea of having Bill and someone with his background in professional sports is something that we’re all excited about. This is where we’re headed, and it’s good to be an early adopter.”
A victory on Saturday would make this season a winning one for the Tar Heels, who are 6-6 on the year. They are riding a two-game losing streak, which includes a 41-21 loss to Bill O’Brien-led Boston College in Chestnut Hill on Nov. 23.
A loss would mark UNC’s first losing season since 2021. The Tar Heels went 8-5 last season with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye under center.
UConn (8-4) has won four of its last five, including a 47-42 win over UMass in the regular-season finale.
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