Tom Brady shares expectations for Bill Belichick’s North Carolina, says players will ‘develop a lot’

Few players know Bill Belichick as well as Tom Brady. The two joined forces as coach and quarterback to win six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots from 2000-19. 

Now, Belichick is embarking on an entirely new challenge at North Carolina, where he’s in the midst of his first year running a college football program. While Brady can’t predict the future of the Tar Heels under Belichick, he does at least have a very informed idea of what to expect. 

“What they’re gonna get is, obviously, the most prepared, the most hardworking coach that I’d ever been around,” Brady said during an appearance on The Joel Klatt Show. “If you go to that school, you will be prepared to play at the next level. He’s going to teach you the right fundamentals, the right techniques. He’s going to have a high expectation for you and you’re going to develop a lot. That’s what I know.” 

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Though Belichick had unparalleled success at the professional level, there have been questions swirling around his ability to acclimate to the college game. This is his first stint as a collegiate coach in any capacity. His dad was an assistant at Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Navy. 

The actual age gap between college and NFL players may not be significant, but their level of understanding is. 

Belichick also has to navigate recruiting — an entirely different animal than NFL free agency, even with NIL and revenue sharing in the mix — and roster retention in the transfer portal era, where athletes can depart a program with few meaningful restrictions. 

“I think the challenge for him is, he’s dealing with a lot of probably underdeveloped players because he’s dealt with guys thate are four or five, six years further along than what he’s normally had to deal with,” Brady said. “So I think there’s probably a learning curve for him. This is me hypothesizing. It’s not, you know, I don’t have much knowledge of it but I’m sure it’s different coaching a 17- or 18-year-old than even a 22- or 23-year-old.”    

North Carolina opens its first season under Belichick on Sept. 1 against TCU.