Dec 12, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels new head coach Bill Belichick speaks to those attending at Loudermilk Center for Excellence. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

UNC Starts Season With Several Former Patriots on Staff

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Ethan Hurwitz | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 4:00 PM ET

It's a new era of college football, and legendary coach Bill Belichick is returning to the sideline. After being announced as North Carolina's head coach back in December, the longtime hoodied overlord of the New England Patriots has brought a big staff with him to Chapel Hill -- with some of the names potentially ringing a bell back in Foxboro.

Here's all the former Patriots — from the head coach and general manager, to the executive chef in the kitchen — who are now joining Belichick in North Carolina for this season of college football.

Head Coach Bill Belichick (w/ New England: 1996, 2000-2023)

After he was let go in 2023, eventual Patriots Hall of Famer Bill Belichick is now looking to lead North Carolina to an ACC title. While fans in New England wouldn’t have guessed that the eight-time Super Bowl champion would coach in college, they could guess how he’s planning to answer questions from the media.

I’m going to try to focus on my job. Help the team in areas that I can with decision making, or maybe a strategy change or something like that, if that’s appropriate," Belichick told ESPN’s Rece Davis. "The players are going to have to go out there and make the plays. I won’t be able to do any of that for us, which is probably a good thing. We’re all going to need to do a good job for it to all come together.”

Belichick becomes the 35th head coach in Tar Heels history, and follows in the football steps of his father — who coached at UNC from 1953 to 1955.

Defensive Coordinator Steve Belichick (w/ New England: 2012-2023)

Bill's son took a job as Washington's defensive coordinator after a long stint with the Patriots. Once his father stepped away from the media game to coach the Tar Heels, Steve followed suit. During his 12 seasons with New England, Belichick won three Super Bowls as a defensive coach in various positions (assistant, safeties, defensive backs and outside linebackers).

Inside Linebackers Coach Jamie Collins Sr. (w/ New England: 2013-2016, 2019, 2021-2022)

The lone coach on the staff who was a player for the Patriots, Collins spent three stints in New England as a premier edge rusher and standup linebacker. Collins was drafted in the 0th round back in 2013 and won a Super Bowl with the Patriots the following season. He was traded to Cleveland midway through his fourth year, but returned two more times during the twilight stages of his career.

Defensive Backs Coach Brian Belichick (w/ New England: 2016-2024)

The third Belichick on the sidelines for UNC. Brian Belichick left the Patriots coaching staff this past offseason to join his father and brother. Though both Bill and Steve left the Patriots in 2023, Brian remained to coach the safeties after three years as a coaching assistant.

Special Teams Assistant Coach Billy Miller (w/ New England: 2014)

Most commonly known as the former head coach of high school powerhouse IMG Academy, Miller had a brief stint with the Patriots en route to a Super Bowl title. Miller joined New England in the spring of 2014 as a special teams assistant and remained with the team for a single season before coming to UNC.

Director of Sports Performance Moses Cabrera (w/ New England: 2011-2023)

Cabrera had been part of New England's training staff for 13 years before stepping away after Belichick left the Patriots. After a year off, he was summoned down to North Carolina as the director of sports performance and head performance coach. He was part of the Patriots teams that won Super Bowls 49, 51 and 53.

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Trent Baker (w/ New England: 2023)

During Cabrera's final season with the Patriots, one of his assistants in the strength and conditioning department was Baker. He was an intern from August of 2023 to February of 2024 after spending over two decades as a part of the United States Navy SEAL Team.

General Manager Michael Lombardi (w/ New England: 2014-2016)

One of the most well-traveled front office members in the NFL, Lombardi stopped in New England for three seasons as an assistant to the coaching staff. The former general manager of the Cleveland Browns, Lombardi now comes to Chapel Hill — where he's helped the coaching staff on various recruiting visits.

Director of Player Personnel Joe Anile (w/ New England: 2022-2023)

After five seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Anile was with the Patriots for two years as both a pro and college scout. Once Belichick was no longer the head coach in New England, Anile followed him, not to the college game, but to his media obligations. Anile helped provide football analysis for Belichick's YouTube show, as well as The Pat McAfee Show and ESPN's ManningCast.

Assistant Director of Player Personel Frantzy Jourdain (w/ New England 2003-2015)

Jourdain was hired by Belichick straight out of college and spent over a decade in the Patriots' scouting department away from the limelight. That is until he helped discover West Alabama cornerback Malcolm Butler, who helped New England win Super Bowl XLIX and helped earn Jourdain a job with the Denver Broncos two years later.

Chief of Staff Chris Mattes (w/ New England: 2017-2024)

Most notably the guy who would open the locker room door for the Patriots as the team would get ready to run out of the tunnel, the former professional lacrosse player held a number of various roles in New England. Mattes joined the team back in 2017 and was with the Patriots under the following positions: Player Operations & Engagement Coordinator (Jun. 2017 - May 2020), Player Operations & Engagement Director (May 2020 - Nov. 2024), and Director of Football Development (Feb. 2024 - Jan. 2025).

Executive Sports Performance Chef Joshua Grimes (w/ New England: 2018-2024)

Yep, Belichick even brought someone from the kitchen staff to UNC. Grimes was the Patriots' executive chef for over six years and led the team's culinary staff until he left after this past season. Since January, Grimes has been with the Tar Heels — making an appearance in a social media video about the program's sports performance departments.

The Tar Heels and TCU Horned Frogs will open up their 2025 seasons tonight at 8 p.m. in Chapel Hill.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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