New Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick won't attend Fenway Bowl - ESPN

BOSTON — New UNC football coach Bill Belichick won't be back in the state he's called home for the past two decades, as school officials told ESPN he's not expected to attend the Fenway Bowl on Saturday morning.

Belichick's new program will close out the final chapter of its 2024 season, as the Tar Heels (6-6) will take on UConn (8-4) at Fenway Park on ESPN at 11 a.m. Even with Belichick not in attendance at the Fenway Bowl media day on Friday, his presence loomed.

«I think it's been really exciting,» UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham told ESPN. «People are excited about the future. We've talked about how college sports is really changing. The idea of having Bill and someone with his background in professional sports is something that we're all excited about. This is where we're headed, and it's good to be an early adopter.»

UNC linebacker Amare Campbell said that Belichick has not been at UNC bowl practice. Cunningham said that has been in line with the same reason he won't be at the bowl game — Belichick doesn't want to be a distraction.

«He's totally dialed into building the roster,» Cunningham said. «He didn't want to go to practice or be a distraction to the kids or the coaches for the bowl game.»

He added: «It's been great. He and Mike Lombardi have locked themselves in a room and really spent all the time since he's been announced, building the roster for this spring and next year.»

Campbell entered the portal and then returned to UNC after getting pitched by Belichick. He had 72 tackles and 10.5 TFLs for UNC in 2024, and won the team's defensive MVP honors. He had received interest from SMU, Colorado and Michigan, he said, but stayed because of the plan Belichick laid out for him in a phone conversation.

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