Bill Belichick‘s move to North Carolina involved quite a few decision-makers , but it was then-Florida Senator Marco Rubio who helped set a deal between the two parties in motion, according to a new report.
Belichick, 72, officially signed a five-year, $50million contract with the Tar Heels in January, roughly a year after he and the Patriots parted ways after 24 seasons.
And as reported in a new ESPN piece, Belichick leveraged his relationship with Rubio – now the Secretary of State – to alert UNC of his interest in the head coaching job.
According to the report, Belichick reached out to his longtime friend Rubio in November to throw his hat in the ring for the position (which was then still held by Mack Brown).
Rubio reportedly then contacted Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who later reached out to North Carolina Senate president pro tempore Phil Berger, described as someone with ‘strong connections with power players at UNC.’
Before long, as ESPN wrote, the pursuit of Belichick became ‘a raging inferno among key stakeholders’ at UNC, with Belichick ultimately agreeing in principle to join the school on December 11.
Bill Belichick joined UNC as head coach after 24 seasons leading the New England Patriots
Belichick reportedly leveraged his relationship with Marco Rubio to express interest in the job
Belichick’s team began spring practices this week, with the 72-year-old seen on the sideline
‘Rubio follows the sports world pretty closely, and he called me and said, ‘There’s a chance Belichick would come to Chapel Hill,” Tillis told ESPN.
‘He said, ‘He wants a school with a great academic reputation, and he wants to try to build a program to bring them a national championship. I said, ‘Well, let me go [make some calls].”
Tillis later continued, ‘It’s the get of the college football world. ‘When the opportunity presented itself, I thought any school of similar stature – going after him they would’ve considered even if they were satisfied with their coach. I think he’ll build up a program that shows you can have great student-athletes and a real shot at a national championship.’
Rubio’s son, Anthony, is a walk-on running back at the University of Florida, and the politician himself is known as a massive football fan.
During his unsuccessful 2016 run for president, Rubio even jokingly suggested he would appoint Belichick as defense secretary.
The Tar Heels, who begin their season on September 1 vs. TCU, began spring practices this week under Belichick.
However, the eight-time Super Bowl winner (six as head coach) wouldn’t be in Chapel Hill if UNC got their first choice for the job.
According to the ESPN report, the school initially targeted former Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who also used to play for the school.
Smith, now the offensive coordinator of the Steelers, was fired by Atlanta in January 2024 after going 21-30.
It was only after Smith told reporters that he was content in the NFL that the search opened up.