The University of North Carolina is finalizing a contract to make Bill Belichick the program's next head coach, sources told 's Pat Forde, Albert Breer and Bryan Fisher. The news was first reported by and later by ESPN.
After just about one year removed from coaching the New England Patriots, the six-time Super Bowl winning head coach will now lead a college football program for the first time in his career, at the same place where his dad was an assistant in the 1950s.
While Belichick has never coached college football, he is being paid like he's one of the sport's top coaches already. His professional pedigree certainly won out in North Carolina's search to replace Mack Brown, and they're paying him handsomely for it, to the tune of a three-year, $30 million contract according to Brendan Marks and Ralph Russo of
According to data compiled this past October, Belichick's annual salary of $10 million per year is tied for sixth in the FBS with Florida State's Mike Norvell and Alabama's Kalen DeBoer. Belichick is also tied for second in the ACC with Norvell (Dabo Swinney is first in the conference and second in the FBS with his $11.1 million salary).
Everyone, of course, is chasing two-time national champion Kirby Smart at Georgia, who earns over $13.2 million per year.
Here's the top-10 according to USA Today, who has data on 125 salaries:
Coach
School
Salary
Conference
Kirby Smart
Georgia
$13,282,580
SEC
Dabo Swinney
Clemson
$11,132,775
ACC
Steve Sarkisian
Texas
$10,600,000
SEC
Lincoln Riley
USC
$10,043,418
Big Ten
Ryan Day
Ohio State
$10,021,250
Big Ten
Mike Norvell
Florida State
$10,000,000
ACC
Kalen DeBoer
Alabama
$10,000,000
SEC
Brian Kelly
LSU
$9,975,000
SEC
Mark Stoops
Kentucky
$9,013,600
SEC
Time will tell whether or not this is a wise investment for Carolina, but it is certainly a risk they're willing to take on the 72-year-old Belichick.
