Bill Belichick must be glad he joined Instagram in September.
The new UNC football coach, 72, explained that he’s “joining the 21st century” and using Instagram for recruiting players after taking over the Tar Heels program earlier this month.
“Yeah, definitely recruiting — a lot of guys going into the portal seems like every day as team’s seasons conclude with the bowl games and then the playoffs… a lot of people contacting us wanting to come to Carolina,” Belichick said Monday during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on ESPN.
“There’s been a lot of guys contacting us wanting to come to North Carolina..
My Instagram account has been busy and I never thought I’d be saying that 😂😂
A lot of players wanna come here and that’s a good thing” ~ Coach Belichick #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/yf5hcPctpa
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 30, 2024
“My Instagram account’s been busy. Scrolling through that, I never thought I’d be saying that, but here I am joining the 21st century. So that’s been good.”
Shortly after the interview, Belichick posted a Christmas list to Instagram targeting potential recruits and transfers.
He had a simple request for the first gift he wanted.
“Great players who want to help me build a winning football program at UNC,” Belichick wrote, while also asking for assistance from fans and alumni.
Belichick — who signed a five-year deal with UNC — added Monday he has visits with recruits starting next week at Chapel Hill.
“We’ve got big weekends coming up — the weekend of the fourth, the weekend of the 11th, a lot of guys coming in to visit and stuff like that,” Belichick said. “It’s been fun, it’s been good, I’ve really enjoyed it. School’s been great, the chancellor and the staff, the administration have really been behind us.
“A lot of players want to come to Carolina, so that’s a good thing. You see any good ones, send them our way.”
Things seem to be off to a good start for Belichick after his introductory press conference at Chapel Hill on Dec. 12.
His 24-year-old girlfriend, former college cheerleader Jordon Hudson, sat in the front row next to Millie Lombardi, the wife of Michael Lombardi, who is the new UNC GM.
Two days later, the legendary NFL coach received a warm welcome when he addressed the crowd during halftime in the UNC-La Salle basketball game at the Dean E. Smith Center in Greensboro.
Belichick’s move to UNC marks his first coaching job since parting ways with the Patriots in January after 24 seasons and six Super Bowl titles.
The eight-time Super Bowl winner has never coached at the college level.
Belichick’s father, Steve Belichick, was an assistant coach at Chapel Hill in the 1950s.
