Bill Belichick's No. 2 Is Also Named Belichick

Steve Belichick to join Tar Heels as defensive coordinator under ex-Patriots coach, aka his dad
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 23, 2024 6:50 AM CST
Bill Belichick's No. 2 Is Also Named Belichick
Bill Belichick is seen during a press conference on Dec. 12 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.   (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

The Tar Heels have decided to keep it in the family when it comes to their coaching staff. Less than two weeks after bringing on Bill Belichick to lead the college football team, it's been announced that Steve Belichick, son of the 72-year-old ex-Patriots head coach, will be joining his dad in North Carolina, serving as the team's defensive coordinator, reports ESPN. The younger Belichick, 37, is currently defensive coordinator for the Washington Huskies.

247 Sports, which first reported the news, notes that Steve Belichick, who was just hired by Washington in February, helped elevate that team's standing in total defense from 99th nationally last year to the mid-20s this year. After he graduated from Rutgers, Steve Belichick joined his dad's Patriots in 2012 as a defensive assistant, eventually serving as a safeties and defensive backs coach and then handling play calls during the 2019 season.

The younger Belichick left the Patriots after his father and the team parted ways earlier this year. NBC News notes that, while the Tar Heels were wooing Bill Belichick, there were whispers that a succession plan was also being put in place for Steve Belichick to ascend to the head coach position for North Carolina after his father leaves. However, there was no sign of that plan in the Bill Belichick contract published by UNC. (More Bill Belichick stories.)

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