Bill Belichick eyeing a move to college coaching? Bruce Arians has one word for him: patience.
Videos by FanBuzz
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach didn't mince words on the Scoop City podcast when asked about Belichick's ongoing talks with North Carolina.
"I'm very, very surprised. I thought for sure he'd wait for the NFL hiring process to play out," Arians said. "There's some good things in going back to college, but I had no patience with rookies. I damn sure don't have patience for freshmen."
Arians, who has college coaching roots—including a stint as head coach at Temple in the '80s—offered Belichick some pointed advice.
"If I'm gonna give Bill one bit of advice—you better bring a lot of patience with you," he said. "Dealing with rookies making money, but now freshmen making money? It's gotta be ridiculous trying to coach those guys."
Arians speaks from experience. While he's an NFL lifer in recent memory, his college tenure came well before the NIL era. Dealing with young athletes adjusting to newfound wealth and fame is a different beast, even in the pros. Arians compared the challenge of coaching paid rookies to what Belichick could face with NIL-empowered college players, calling it a "ridiculous" adjustment for any coach.
Still, Belichick isn't just any coach. With six Super Bowl rings and a reputation for molding disciplined teams, he might relish the challenge of building a program from the ground up—complete with its egos and paychecks.
Is Belichick serious about this move, or is this a strategic play to catch NFL teams' attention? Only time will tell. But as Arians points out, college ball isn't just X's and O's anymore. It's managing personalities, expectations, and egos—all before they've played a single down on Saturdays. Patience, indeed.
