North Carolina coach Bill Belichick announced his initial staff for his first season in Chapel Hill. The staff boasts plenty of recognizable names, along with heavy hitters from both the collegiate and professional levels.
The staff is highlighted by Belichick’s sons, Steve (defensive coordinator) and Brian (defensive backs) in key defensive roles. Quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi is the son of general manager Michael Lombardi. Matt was an analyst working with quarterbacks at Oregon, including Heisman finalist Dillon Gabriel.
The staff comes with high expectations as North Carolina delivered Belichick a $10 million per year contract that makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport. The $5.3 million assistant salary pool also ranks high, especially in the ACC.
Offensive Staff
- Freddie Kitchens, Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
- Will Friend, Offensive Line
- Matt Lombardi, Quarterbacks
- Garrick McGee, Wide Receivers
- Natrone Means, Runnings Backs
- Caleb Pickrell, Offensive Assistant
Defensive Staff
- Steve Belichick, Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
- Bob Diaco, Defensive Line
- Brian Belichick, Defensive Backs/Safeties
- Armand Hawkins. Cornerbacks
- Jamie Collins, Inside Linebackers
- Ty Nichols, Outside Linebackers
Special Teams Staff
- Mike Priefer, Special Teams Coordinator
- Billy Miller, Special Teams Assistant
Officially, Belichick’s staff has 14 listed assistant coaches, above the limit of 10. However, the limit primarily applies to recruiting; analysts are now able to work with players. Inside Carolina previously reported that Pickrell, Nichols and Collins could join in analyst roles.
Family ties
Belichick is considered the best coach in NFL history, and the staff is filled with connections from his career. Defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and defensive backs coach Brian Belichick are the most obvious ones. Both of Belichick’s sons coached with him in the NFL. Steve spent the 2024 season as defensive coordinator at the University of Washington under coach Jedd Fisch, another former Belichick assistant.
Additionally, inside linebackers coach Jamie Collins was an All-Pro player for Belichick with the Patriots in 2015. Quarterbacks coach Matt Lombardi is the son of general manager Michael Lombardi, who was Belichick’s first hire.
Belichick also made two shrewd moves with North Carolina and NFL ties in mind. Offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens is a former NFL coach with the Cleveland Browns but spent the 2024 season as tight ends coach in Chapel Hill. He will now run the offense. Running backs coach Natrone Means is a program legend and NFL running back who worked as an analyst under Mack Brown. He should add more credibility to the room.
College credibility
While many of the coaches on Belichick’s staff primarily have background in the NFL, he added a few heavy hitters at the college level. Wide receivers coach Garrick McGee is considered a strong recruiter and position coach, and he coached UAB in 2012-2013. Ex-UConn coach Bob Diaco also arrived as a defensive line coach after working as an analyst at LSU. An underrated addition is longtime SEC offensive line coach Will Friend, who has stops at Georgia, Tennessee, Auburn and Mississippi State. Friend has sent nine linemen to the NFL Draft.
Wild card addition
Special teams assistant Billy Miller spent time as a special teams staffer in the NFL, including with Belichick’s Patriots. However, he is better known as the coach at IMG Academy, the most powerful prep school in the recruiting world. Miller spent the last 10 years in various roles at IMG, including his last three years as coach.
While Miller will serve as a minor assistant, he could be a key force on the recruiting trail. IMG Academy has three players rated in the top 100 of the Top247 rankings. But even for players that did not play at IMG, Miller has a deep list of contacts and connections that he may have used to try and convince players to transfer to the academy. Without question, Miller is the most connected member of the staff in the high school world.
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