It hasn’t taken long for Bill Belichick’s much-anticipated first season at North Carolina to fly off the rails. The Tar Heels have yet to beat a Power Four opponent, and that doesn’t look likely to change Saturday as they struggle mightily in their ACC opener against an equally lackluster Clemson team.
Not only has North Carolina failed to win against Power Four competition — it hasn’t even looked competitive. Entering Saturday, the Tar Heels dropped their two previous games against power-conference opponents by 34 and 25 points, respectively.
Clemson piled up 28 points in the first quarter in Week 6 — the most ever allowed by a Belichick-coached team in a single quarter, at any level, including the postseason. It also marked the first time one of his teams has surrendered touchdowns on each of an opponent’s first four drives.
Belichick is still less than five games into his North Carolina tenure, but his future in Chapel Hill already feels uncertain. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, his contract could make it difficult to move on — unless the 73-year-old decides to walk away on his own.
Year 1 coach progress reports: Bill Belichick gets ‘F’ at North Carolina, Purdue’s Barry Odom earns ‘B-‘
Shehan Jeyarajah
Bill Belichick contract, buyout details
When North Carolina made the stunning decision to hire Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as coach of the New England Patriots in the NFL, the administration handed him a five-year contract worth $50 million. The terms of his contract included guaranteed money for the first three years.
So, essentially, were North Carolina to fire Belichick at any point before Dec. 2027 — three years after it initially hired him — it would owe him everything he was set to be paid up to that date. As things stand, that figure is north of $20 million. Anything above $17 million would make Belichick’s buyout one of the five highest in college football history.
If Belichick were to take another job, he would actually owe North Carolina $1 million. That figure dropped from $10 million on June 1.
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