It may be hard to believe, but Bill Belichick is the new head coach for the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Yeah, you read that right.
The wildest hiring of the cycle has taken place, and the six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach will now take his turn at trying to rebuild a program in desperate need of a boost.
Legendary coach Mack Brown had his shot at rebuilding the Tar Heels and aside from a few seven-plus win seasons, wasn’t able to complete that task.
Belichick already has his work cut out for him as North Carolina was one of the worst schools regarding signees during the early signing period.
Of their nine commitments heading into the period, only seven signed.
None of the signees rank higher than three-star prospects, and the group ranks No. 90 nationally and last in the ACC.
Bryce Baker remains committed…for now
The top recruit for the Tar Heels is four-star quarterback Bryce Baker.
An in-state recruit from East Forsyth (Kernersville, N.C.), Baker ranks as the No. 151 player and No. 13 quarterback in the cycle according to 247Sports. However, he remains unsigned.
ESPN’s Eli Lederman reported Thursday morning that he and Belichick were scheduled to have a call Thursday night. Signing Baker remains a high priority for the Tar Heels, with both Penn State and LSU remaining in the mix to potentially flip him.
Baker led East Forsyth to the fourth round of the postseason. He finished his senior season passing for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns with six more scores on the ground.
Three-star EDGE also remains unsigned
The other commitment in North Carolina’s 2025 class that still needs to be signed is three-star EDGE Austin Alexander.
Alexander, a 6-foot-3, 243-pounder out of Kentucky, committed to North Carolina on April 19. While not ranked in the top 300 by 247Sports, the site has him as the No. 66 EDGE and No. 5 player out of Kentucky.
Like Baker, Belichick was also set to call Alexander. It was reported that he had already spoken with the new North Carolina GM, Mike Lombardi.
No current signee ranks top 50 in North Carolina’s position group
Making sure that Baker signs and putting together a solid transfer portal class will be key for Belichick and the Tar Heels entering the new year.
Of their current signees, none rank as a top 50 recruit inside their position group.
Katy (Texas) interior offensive lineman Byron Nelson is the closest to hitting that mark, ranking No. 52 for that position group. In-state interior offensive lineman Trey Blue doesn’t follow too far behind as the Np. 54 interior offensive lineman.
More: Friday Night Notes: Oregon, Texas dominate early signing period; Herbstreit chooses UM
More: Carson Palmer named head coach at alma mater Santa Margarita
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY High School Sports Wire: North Carolina football’s 2025 recruiting class
