The 2025 college football season is nearly here, as evidenced by the conference media days scheduled for this week across the nation. This includes the ACC, where the media days are being held in Charlotte and feature all the big names in the conference— including Bill Belichick, the newly-minted head of UNC football who is slated for his first press conference in years on Thursday.
Belichick's arrival is obviously a massive talking point around the ACC, and it was no surprise that a few coaches received questions about his debut college season during the media days. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi was asked one such question, and had a funny one-liner to crack as an answer.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Narduzzi was asked how he thought Belichick would transition to the NCAA world. He gave a serious answer before joking that he's looking forward to seeing the Tar Heels in the conference championship come winter.
"I'll be shocked if he doesn't have success," said Narduzzi. "I don't have a crystal ball; I'm no genius over here. He's a heck of a football coach, but it takes players and it takes coaches. It takes a program together. It takes everybody moving in the same direction. I'm sure with the president there at North Carolina and new A.D. now coming in, Belichick and his entire staff will do a hell of a job."
Then Narduzzi delivered the one-liner.
"I expect them to be in the championship game against Pitt. Because you've got Bill Belichick. You better be, right?"
Narduzzi on Belichick/UNC. (Video credit: @primetimeMitch ) pic.twitter.com/XEVi2PglHu
— Brian Murphy (@murphsturph) July 23, 2025
It's a funny line that also reflects the enormous expectations around the Tar Heels thanks to Belichick's pedigree in the NFL. Fair or not, North Carolina will be mocked if the team doesn't find great success this season because Belichick is an all-time great coach, regardless of the differences he'll encounter coaching college athletes instead of professionals.
It should be a fascinating season no matter what happens.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pitt Head Coach Cracked Funny One-Liner About Bill Belichick's First Season at UNC.
