NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
Bill Belichick's inaugural season in college football did not go as he and the North Carolina Tar Heels expected, finishing 4-8 and 2-6 in ACC play in 2025.
However, the championship pedigree remains in Chapel Hill because of who the head coach is. Belichick's eight Super Bowl victories, six as head coach of the New England Patriots, are cause for reverence even if his first year with the Tar Heels wasn't what anyone expected.
Belichick's mentality, however, does not think in terms of championship or failure despite what his professional record says.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Head coach Bill Belichick of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches before a game against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on September 20, 2025. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Ahead of his second season with UNC, Belichick, speaking on “Hang Out with Sean Hannity,” explained how he approaches a hopeful 2026 bounce-back campaign.
“Our goals are much more short-term than that, just like our goals in the NFL,” he told Hannity. “We never talked about the Super Bowl this year or last year. What's done is done, and until we got to the game, it wasn't really relevant. There were a lot of steps that needed to be taken in between. It's the same for me in North Carolina.
TOM BRADY PLATOS ON BILL BELICHICK'S 'CHALLENGE' IN 1ST SEASON IN NORTH CAROLINA
“Right now, our goal is to prepare for training camp in August and what we need to do between now and then with training and player preparation, training strategy. Based on what we know about our team, how we want to modify things, what we did in the spring, etc. How can we have a good week, and then if we have a good week, what can we do to improve that next week? Over time, continue to try to gain ground.”
Belichick admitted that the team's “long-term goal” is obviously to compete well enough to get into the College Football Playoff and play for a national title one day.
North Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi watch from the sideline during the game against Texas Christian University at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Sept. 1, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
“But that is something very far away,” he added. “What is most important to take advantage of today, tomorrow and this week? Those are really our goals: how do we make the most of these few days?
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“If we don't take care of the daily steps, we won't accomplish much.”
Belichick was known for his “no off days” mantra with the Patriots, but it's similar here in that he's focused on how to get better each day rather than looking too far into the future.
Bill Belichick watches the Miami Hurricanes play the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium on January 19, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Image Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
After his disappointing season, Belichick and his staff at UNC also took advantage of the transfer portal, strengthening key positions, especially edge rusher and tight end, to give them a better chance to improve.
Follow Fox News Digital sports coverage in X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
