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Bill Belichick receives low ranking among Power Four college football coaches
"I had him 66th on my ballot. Why? Because none of that success has happened at the college level."
Bill Belichick’s coaching resume in the NFL ranks speaks for itself.
But even with eight Super Bowl championships (two as Giants’ DC, six as Patriots head coach) on his ledger, Belichick apparently has plenty of doubters entering his first season as head coach of the University of North Carolina Football team.
CBS Sports released its annual ranking of the 68 Power Four coaches in college football this week, with the usual suspects like Georgia’s Kirby Smart (No. 1), Ohio State’ Ryan Day (No. 2), and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney (No. 3) leading the pack ahead of the 2025 season.
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But, be it Belichick’s inexperience in the college ranks or the ongoing discourse regarding his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, there seems to be plenty of skepticism surrounding the former Patriots’ coach entering the 2025 campaign.
As part of that 68-coach ranking, CBS placed Belichick 54th overall — with the individual voters on CBS’ staff showing a wide variance in terms of where to place Belichick on the list.
“Now, here’s an interesting case study of how our voters think,” CBS’ Tom Fornelli wrote. “Belichick has won six Super Bowls as a head coach and two as an assistant. He’s widely considered one of the greatest football coaches of all time.
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“And I had him 66th on my ballot. Why? Because none of that success has happened at the college level. Our John Talty had him at 19 because he’s Bill Belichick. In the end, he finished here. It’ll be interesting to see where he’s ranked a year from now.”
Belichick was named head coach at UNC in December 2024, with his control of the Tar Heels’ program standing as the first collegiate coaching position he’s ever taken in a football career that has spanned nearly 50 years.
Belichick served in some sort of coaching capacity in the NFL from 1975 until the 2023 NFL season, after which New England moved on from Belichick following 24 years with the organization.
UNC opens the 2025 season against TCU Monday, Sept. 1, at 8 p.m. ET in Chapel Hill.
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