Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Joel Klatt Names College Football Fan Base Under an Immense Amount of Pressure

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 10:00 PM ET

The Bill Belichick era for the North Carolina Tar Heels has begun, as the eight-time Super Bowl champion transitions to the college level.

Belichick spent more than three decades in the NFL, both as a coordinator and as a head coach. He won two Super Bowls as the defensive mastermind for the New York Giants and six as the head coach of the New England Patriots.

Overall, his record stands at 333-178 in his 29 seasons as a head coach. However, after the 2023 season, which resulted in another losing record, the Patriots and Belichick agreed to part ways. Now, he is attempting to make his mark in college football.

On "The Joel Klatt Show," the Fox Sports analyst discussed which coaches are under pressure this season. He mentioned Belichick but noted that it is actually another aspect of the North Carolina program that is facing the pressure.

"I think the pressure index is not actually on Bill Belichick," Klatt said. "Let's be honest, Bill Belichick is not going to feel a lot of pressure at North Carolina. If this doesn't go his way, he doesn't seem like a guy who's going to lose a lot of sleep over this. But, the pressure index is more so on the fan base."

Klatt believes that the fan base is highly invested in this coaching experiment, similar to the situation at Colorado with Deion Sanders. He noted that fans seem enthusiastic about thinking outside the box when it comes to their coaching hire.

Klatt also feels that the fan base is excited that Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time, is now at North Carolina. However, he suggests that the pressure will begin to increase not from the games on North Carolina's schedule but from those on the Giants' schedule.

He is concerned that the Giants could struggle significantly and may decide to fire head coach Brian Daboll. In that case, Klatt speculates that Belichick might be interested in returning to the Giants as their head coach. With his buyout set at only $1 million, Klatt believes that Belichick would readily pay that amount.

While he acknowledges that fans are happy to have Belichick in Chapel Hill, they are hopeful he will still be there after Dec. 1 and not return to the NFL.

The Tar Heels will kick off their season on Sept. 1 against the TCU Horned Frogs at home, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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