Inside Bill Belichick and Dave Doeren's Relationship

On the other sideline is future NFL Hall of Fame head coach Bill Belichick, who stepped back into the coaching ranks when he accepted the job at North Carolina last spring after retiring from his longtime position with the New England Patriots. To say his first season in Chapel Hill has gone smoothly would be a lie.

Despite the animosity between the two schools, fan bases and even the players, the two coaches appear to have an enormous amount of respect for one another, avoiding snipes and cheap shots that can define the news cycle during rivalry week. Part of the reason is a relationship that runs back many years.

A pro day meetup

Back in 2018, Belichick still led the Patriots as both head coach and general manager, evaluating talent at the college level during the offseason as he built his New England dynasty each season. The GM role meant Belichick interacted with college coaches frequently, including Doeren. In 2018, the Wolfpack had a loaded draft class, led by eventual No. 5 pick Bradley Chubb. Belichick impressed Doeren.

"He came and it was great to be around him and he had a lot of questions. Coach Belichick always called head coaches because he was the GM," Doeren said. "... I was always impressed with just his attention to detail..."

Doeren's work in Raleigh impressed the NFL titan enough that he dipped into the Wolfpack's wealth of talent over the years twice, drafting offensive lineman Joe Thuney and quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the 2016 NFL draft. Thuney became one of the steadiest members of the New England offensive line, winning a pair of Super Bowls with the Patriots. Brissett went on to become one of the league's most reliable backup quarterbacks.

"I think if you've been through the program with him, you know how to work. You're tough, physically and mentally tough," Belichick said about Doeren's program. "He runs a good program and you earn what you get there. Those guys play hard. You see it on film."

More connections

Doeren's rise to coaching prominence came during his time as the defensive coordinator for the Wisconsin Badgers. His boss in Madison was Bret Bielema, currently the head coach at Illinois. Bielema and Doeren became close friends during their time working with one another, with Doeren called his former boss a mentor.

After a stint in Arkansas, Bielema left the college game briefly for a role in New England under Belichick. He first served as a consultant before becoming the defensive line coach for the Patriots in 2019, helping Belichick and the Patriot defense to a Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams. Doeren took advantage of having a friend working for one of the most renowned football organizations in the country.

"I was able to go up there and watch their OTAs and spend time in their meetings and watch him coach," Doeren said. "I have a lot of respect for (Belichick) and how he did his job up there."

While the pair aren't close friends like Doeren and Bielema or even other coaches in the ACC, like Pitt's Pat Narduzzi, the respect felt between the two coaches during the week was palpable. However, there is still a rivalry game on the line and Doeren's primary mission of beating the Tar Heels by any and all means doesn't change just because there's a new head coach on the Carolina sideline.

Doeren outlasted both Mack Brown and Larry Fedora in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels took an enormous shot bringing in Belichick, which sidelined NC State for much of the discussion of football during the offseason. Both programs enter the final week with regrets for how the season has gone, although Doeren's group pulled off some signature wins and will play in a bowl game in December.

A win in the rivalry matchup would go a long way for both coaches in salvaging what could otherwise be disappointing seasons, albeit in very different ways, for both Doeren and Belichick.