Bill Belichick’s UNC NFL Claim Doesn't Hold Up vs. Notre Dame

The problem with that statement, however, is, plenty of other teams can make a lot better claim to being that than North Carolina could dream of, even under the head coach who rode Tom Brady's coattails to six Super Bowl titles (I'm only kidding, sort of). Since this is a Notre Dame-focused site, I'll focus on how Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish compare, but this fits several teams.

To pretend North Carolina is the first team to operate like an NFL team is laughable, as plenty of the five-star programs nationally have been doing as much for years.

Notre Dame's Recruiting in North Carolina

Belichick and Michael Lombardi can claim the "33rd NFL team" thing as much as they'd like, but early recruiting returns haven't been great for them in the state of North Carolina.

The 2026 recruiting class has 17 players rated as four-star prospects by 247Sports that call North Carolina home. To date, just two of those have made a verbal commitment to Belichick and North Carolina, while three each have pledged to Clemson and Notre Dame.

Furthermore, Georgia and South Carolina both have a pair of such commitments in the class, while Miami, Oregon, Penn State, and Tennessee have each earned one commitment.

North Carolina's recruiting numbers are impressive when you see that 30 players have committed to the class, but only four of those a four or five-star recruits, leaving just a 13.3% blue chip rate. That means the development will have to be nearly perfect if the Tar Heels are to compete for even an ACC championship.

For comparison, Texas A&M currently has an 87.5% blue-chip rate in the 2026 class while Notre Dame (83.3%), Georgia (74%), Alabama (68.4%), and USC (67.7%) currently also all rank in the top five of the 247Sports 2026 team rankings.

Notre Dame and the Sons of Former NFL Stars

If Bill Belichick, Michael Lombardi, and the rest of the North Carolina staff are the "33rd NFL team," then why does it seem like all the sons of former NFL standouts end up at Notre Dame?

Devin Fitzgerald, son of legendary wide receiver Larry, became the latest to commit to Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame on Saturday. He's hardly alone, though. In just the 2026 class, Fitzgerald joins the sons of Thomas Davis (Carolina Panthers) and Jermichael Finley (Green Bay Packers) in Notre Dame's class.

Sprinkle in the sons of NFL Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis, Bryant Young, and former star receiver Plaxico Burress last cycle, and the trend only strengthens.

If Belichick and Lombardi are going to turn North Carolina into an NFL factory, why aren't any of the guys who starred in the league during Belichick's hay-day pointing their sons towards Chapel Hill?

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Takeaway

Bill Belichick's resume is as impressive as anyone who has ever coached in the NFL. However, will it carry much weight with recruits down the road? He's been able to land commitments with right-hand man Lombardi, but again, the blue-chip rate is nowhere near the necessary level to compete for championships.

Belichick coached the New England Patriots through the 2023-24 season, which is just two years ago. He last won an NFL playoff game as a head coach during the 2018 campaign, though, when he, Tom Brady, and the rest of the Patriots beat the Rams in Super Bowl LIII.

I understand the idea of trying to speak it into existence if you're North Carolina, but the Tar Heels have a long way to go.

Recruits in the 2026 cycle were in fifth grade when Belichick last coached a team to a playoff victory. Chances are almost 100% that they know Belichick more for being the guy with a girlfriend young enough to be his great-granddaughter than they remember him as a successful NFL head coach.