UNC Football Under Belichick Angers Scouts, Hinders Player Visibility

Belichick's issues with New England's scouting department was first reported by John Middlekauff on the “3 and Out Podcast with John Middlekauf.” Middlekauf has connections to the NFL's scouting community as he was a former scout for the Philadelphia Eagles before becoming a member of the media.

“If you're a scout for the New England Patriots, you are not allowed at the University of North Carolina," Middlekauff said on the podcast."Which is funny, but kind of embarrassing."

Belichick has NFL scouts have reportedly had a tough time in general when it comes to dealing with North Carolina in its new era under the former Patriots' head coach. 

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported during ESPN’s pregame show before the Carolina-TCU game on Sept. 1 that NFL scouting personnel came mostly and/or strictly to watch the Horned Frogs, not the Tar Heels.

He also reported that there were over 20 NFL scouts from 14 teams at the matchup against the Horned Frogs, but that they simply didn't have a lot of talent to scout on the UNC roster as there were only two: senior cornerbacks Marcus Allen and Thaddeus Dixon. 

Throughout the game and even beforehand, Belichick’s restrictive actions have been well known as both the media and NFL scouts hardly knew who was going to be the main contributors for the Tar Heels even throughout fall camp. Even worse, everyone in the press box – whether it was the media or NFL scouting personnel – had a blank depth chart that only listed positions.

According to ESPN NFL insider Kalyn Kahler, when the network reached out to North Carolina football general manager Michael Lombardi, he replied, “Good luck,” before hanging up. UNC later declined further comment.

In the same report by ESPN, Lombardi and Tar Heels pro liaison Frantzy Jourdain informed the Patriots organization that they would be prohibited from UNC the day before one of the team’s scouts was scheduled to visit in August.

A couple of NFL scouts told ESPN anonymously that North Carolina provides only limited access to league personnel, with no opportunity to speak to the Tar Heels’ coaching staff or other team officials. All communication, they said, is directed solely through Jourdain

The Dilemma of Marketing UNC as the “33rd NFL Team”

This isn’t a good look for Bill Belichick or North Carolina. The Tar Heels have branded themselves as the “33rd NFL team,” while Belichick’s entire pitch is that no one will prepare players for the pros better than him.

But when you make NFL scouts’ jobs harder—and go so far as to keep some of their colleagues off campus—it creates friction in a tightly knit league community. Word travels fast, and those grudges don’t just fade. That kind of reputation could hurt a player’s visibility, making it harder to get drafted or even properly evaluated, all because of Belichick’s approach.