Somehow, someway, Bill Belichick coaching college football at the University of North Carolina is happening.
Multiple reports indicate the six-time Super Bowl champion coach is finalizing a deal to become UNC's next head coach.
Belichick, known for his iconic “fashion" (if you can even call it that), could be donning the famous “Carolina Blue," though it seems much too vibrant for his taste.
With Belichick in Chapel Hill, here are five merchandising ideas for the university.
1. Gray short-sleeve hoodie
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
There are few NFL coaches whose “looks” transcend generations in the league.
Belichick is one of those coaches, most notably for his sweatshirts. Some are sleeveless, some are ripped around the neckline, some are mock hoodies.
If you can think of a design for a sweatshirt, Belichick has gotten great use out of it patrolling the New England sidelines.
In typical Belichick fashion, the most notable color of these sweatshirts is gray.
UNC should immediately look at rolling out gray short-sleeve hoodies with the Tar Heels logo on the front.
2. Any item that says “Chapel Bill”
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is one of the premier college towns in America, and one of the few towns that is synonymous with the university.
Tuscaloosa, Madison, Athens, Gainesville, Ann Arbor, Chapel Hill.
A play on words of substituting Hill with Bill would be an instant success.
3. UNC football lacrosse pinnies
While Belichick is the most decorated coach in NFL history, he has long spoken about his deep passion for lacrosse.
He played in college at Wesleyan and has stayed by the game his entire life. During NFL offseason, he could often be seen attending college lacrosse games in the DMV, especially Navy and Johns Hopkins.
UNC is one of the most decorated programs in lacrosse history on both the men’s and women’s sides, combining for eight national titles between the two teams.
A North Carolina football lacrosse pinnie should be in the works.
4. “Do your job” football shirts
One of Belichick’s monikers throughout his career was simply, “Do your job.”
It was concise, but powerful. No one was bigger than the team, and it took an entire group doing their jobs to breed success.
Now, the Patriots and team owner Robert Kraft do own the rights to this phrase. But maybe the Tar Heels can strike a deal.
A UNC football shirt that says “Carolina football” on the front and “do your job” on the back would be right up Belichick’s alley.
5. Belichick and Lawrence Taylor crossover shirt
Despite coaching Tom Brady to six Super Bowls, Belichick has long preached about how his favorite player to coach was Lawrence Taylor, when Belichick was the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants in the 1980s.
Well ... Lawrence Taylor just so happens to be a North Carolina football alum, and perhaps the greatest player in program history.
A printed T-shirt of the two of them would be great.
Or, the school could do a GOATs shirt. UNC has no shortage of them: Taylor, Michael Jordan, Mia Hamm.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and editor for cllct.