Former Patriots player explains why he's 'not surprised' by Bill Belichick's rollercoaster start to UNC season

Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris, who now serves as a college football analyst, told Fox News Digital that Bill Belichick's struggles in his UNC debut doesn't surprise him for multiple reasons.

Bill Belichick surely didn’t envision a world where he needs to release a statement alongside UNC saying that he remains fully committed to the college football program just five games into his tenure. 

Alas, that’s the roller coaster ride he and the rest of the Tar Heels have been on this season. 

Belichick’s first crack at being a head coach in college football has seen a 2-3 record on the books with multiple blowout losses, rumors that the university is considering his buyout already and drama on and off the field. 

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North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA football game against Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.  (Nell Redmond/AP Photo)

While Belichick maintained that he’s "fully committed to UNC Football and the program we’re building here," one of his former NFL players isn’t surprised at all by what’s happening in Chapel Hill. 

"I’m not surprised, and I only say it only for this simple fact: Bill Belichick has never been a college football coach before," Damien Harris, the former New England Patriots running back and current college football analyst, told Fox News Digital, while highlighting his partnership with Dr Pepper. "He’s the best to ever coach in the NFL. Respect. Tip my hat to him. I played for him, I believe it, and I respect it. That doesn’t mean you can up and go to the college level and have that same success.

BILL BELICHICK VOWS HE'S 'FULLY