Bill Belichick has begun to settle into his role as head coach at North Carolina, where he has had back-to-back wins following the opening night debacle. The Tar Heels outscored their opponents 61-9 in those two wins, but their 117th-ranked passing attempt is still trying to find its legs.
How sustainable this turnaround is will be tested over the next three weeks with games against UCF and Clemson. Belichick is charged with getting Sophomore quarterback Gio Lopez on track, and his confidence in him is not shaken.
While Belichick’s six Super Bowl rings speak for themselves, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema recently offered additional insight into what makes his former boss so effective.
What Makes Bill Belichick Such an Effective Coach, According to Bielema?
Bielema worked for Belichick and the Patriots in 2018 and 2019 and has been the head coach at Illinois since 2021. He successfully ran with the Fighting Illini, boasting a 31-22 record.
NEW: $2M from an SEC powerhouse wasn’t enough to pull Luke Altmyer from Illinois.
“And he never called me once, not a single time to talk about money.”
Bret Bielema has the Illini in rare air, aiming to get beyond the CFP ‘doorstep’👀
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With his team off to a 3-0 start, Bielema took some time to reflect on his journey as a coach so far and offered some thoughts on his time working for Belichick. “Bill Belichick is by far the most intelligent football coach I’ve ever been around. His awareness, football one-on-one, and education couldn’t have come at a better time for me, and fortunately, he included me in a lot of conversations about how to build a 53-man roster.”
Roster management has become an increasingly important part of the college game, and Bielema clearly appreciates the lessons he learned under Belichick. Roster management and player development are two things that Belichick himself is navigating at UNC now.
Belichick Knows Confidence is Critical for Lopez
The UNC passing attack, led by transfer Gio Lopez, has struggled so far in 2025. While he hasn’t turned the ball over at a high rate, he has a 58.5 completion percentage, hasn’t surpassed 155 passing yards in a single game, and has been sacked four times.
Belichick spoke in a press conference ahead of their matchup with UCF and discussed how confidence is critical to Lopez’s game. “When the ball comes out on time, there’s confidence. And so I think a couple of Gio’s throws, like to Jake (Johnson), came out real quick. They got there just in time. And Jake was able to squirt forward for a first down a couple times.
“Things like that where, if you just hesitate another split second, maybe he makes a catch, maybe doesn’t get that extra two yards for the first down, things like that. So those are just there’s a difference between anticipating the receiver being open and then seeing him open and then throwing the ball. A lot of times it’s too late, and if you can anticipate the receiver creating separation and getting open, then you hit him. If you wait till he gets open a lot of times, that window closes by the time you get him the ball?,” Bellichick added.
Lopez’s development will be vital to the now 2-2-1 Tarheels season, and Belichick is most certainly doing everything within his control to get him there. These next two games will tell the college football world a lot about where this UNC program is. Saturday’s matchup kicks off at UCF at 3:30 p.m. ET.