What Former Tar Heels QB Drake Maye Thinks About Belichick-UNC Rumors originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
If anyone in New England is an expert on the University of North Carolina football program, it’s New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye spent three seasons in Chapel Hill from 2021-2023 and was UNC’s starting quarterback in 2022 and 2023. He was a fantastic starter for North Carolina and landed in New England with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
North Carolina needs a new head football coach after the school fired Mack Brown — who coached Maye — last month. And recent reports suggest that Bill Belichick, who spent 24 years as the Patriots’ head coach and won six Super Bowl titles during that span, could become the Tar Heels’ next coach.
Belichick confirmed Monday on ESPN The Pat McAfee Show that he spoke at school on the post. Reports on Wednesday indicated Belichick and North Carolina were close to reaching an agreementbut nothing is finalized.
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What does Maye think about the possibility of Belichick running the UNC program?
“Yeah, obviously, legendary coach, the success he’s had here and what a great place Chapel Hill is,” Maye said during his press conference Wednesday.
“Any time you have a legendary NFL coach going back to college, I think it’s cool. It’s pretty interesting to me. I think it’s not official yet. I think l ‘Coach Belichick would love Chapel Hill, and Chapel Hill is a great place like me,’ nothing official, but it’s cool to have a Hall of Fame coach coming back to coach college kids. “
Would Belichick look good in North Carolina blue?
“Yeah, I think everyone looks good in Carolina blue,” Maye said. “It’s a special color and North Carolina has navy blue in it too.”
North Carolina’s program could definitely use a boost, and hiring Belichick would certainly make headlines.
The Tar Heels were 6-6 and finished 12th in the 16-team ACC last season. The last time North Carolina won a playoff game was the 2019 Military Bowl, but it has a chance to end the drought on Dec. 28 in the Fenway Bowl against UConn in Boston.
