After an offseason dominated by intrigue and previously unimaginable headlines, Bill Belichick is only about a month away from coaching his first football game at North Carolina.
Before he does that, though, the legendary NFL coach will get to take part in one of his favorite exercises — speaking in front of a group of hundreds of reporters.
Heading into his first season ever as a college football coach, Belichick will make his scheduled appearance at ACC media days in Charlotte on July 24, where he’ll discuss his Tar Heels team ahead of its highly anticipated September 1 season-opener against TCU.
Since North Carolina stunned much of the college football world by hiring Belichick last December, the six-time Super Bowl champion has been breathlessly discussed, though usually outside of the confines of football and his new job.
Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson, his 24-year-old girlfriend, became a source of widespread public fascination that went beyond amusing social media posts of the couple wearing costumes or doing beach yoga. Hudson famously interjected during a CBS Sunday Morning interview in April when Belichick was asked how the two met, a moment that was captured on camera and set off a wave of reporting on Hudson, her role as Belichick’s manager and what impact, if any, it has had on the North Carolina program.
In Chapel Hill, he’ll look to inject life into a program that has often been described as a sleeping giant, but has routinely struggled to wake up. Though they’ve been a perennial bowl participant for the past 40 years, the Tar Heels haven’t won the ACC since 1980 and have won at least 10 games only once since 1998.
USA TODAY Sports will be providing live updates and highlights from Belichick’s interviews at ACC media days. Follow along here:
Bill Belichick ACC media days live updates
This section will be updated closer to the start of Belichick’s news conference
Bill Belichick non-committal on North Carolina QB battle
Arguably the most important position on the North Carolina roster is still a bit of a question mark heading into Bill Belichick’s first season at the helm.
The Tar Heels have six quarterbacks on their roster, but the battle for the starting spot is widely seen as coming down to Max Johnson, a Texas A&M transfer who was their starter last season before breaking his leg in the season-opener against Minnesota; Gio Lopez, a South Alabama transfer; and Bryce Baker, a freshman who was a four-star recruit and top-100 prospect nationally in the 2025 class.
Belichick said every quarterback will get an opportunity to win the job, with the final result of the competition coming down to their play on the field.
‘We’ll let the competition play out on the field,’ he said in an interview on SportsCenter. ‘I can’t control how players play. Never have and never will. Performance is up to the players and we’ll do the best we can to coach all of them.’
ACC media clears out after Bill Belichick news conference
Bill Belichick wasn’t the only person to leave the hotel ballroom in Charlotte once he was done with his news conference.
Most of the assembled media departed the room with him, with Belichick’s more intimate breakout session with reporters taking place shortly after he was done at the dais. By the time NC State coach Dave Doeren had his news conference, the room that Belichick had filled was largely empty, prompting Doeren to note that it had gotten a little sleepier in the room.
Bill Belichick breaks down difference between coaching NFL and college players
One of the biggest questions facing Belichick entering his first season at North Carolina is how the NFL lifer will adjust to coaching college football, particularly during a time of such profound change in the sport.
During an interview with SiriusXM Radio Thursday, Belichick detailed the differences between coaching at the college and professional level. He noted that college coaches have more time to train players and, because of larger rosters, get more practice reps. He believes college players are more eager and less stubborn than their NFL counterparts, though he added that someone like Tom Brady was always open to learning and soaking in new information.
“They don’t have as many bad habits,’ Belichick said. ‘They’re more anxious to learn fundamentally the right way, or at least the way we’re teaching them to do things. They really embrace it. That’s not always the case in the NFL. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it isn’t.”
Bill Belichick answers question about fullbacks
Over the course of his two decades with the New England Patriots, the famously terse Belichick developed a reputation for long-winded answers about football minutiae, particularly when it pertained to important-but-overlooked positions like long-snapper and punter.
Sure enough, one of the three questions he received during his news conference Thursday was about the evolution of the fullback position.
Bill Belichick details relationship with Dabo Swinney
Earlier on Thursday of ACC media days, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney discussed how much he has already learned from Bill Belichick in his brief time in the ACC.
The feeling is evidently mutual.
Belichick described Swinney as a ‘friend for a long time,’ noting that the two often interacted when Belichick was with the Patriots and was evaluating Clemson players he was interested in drafting.
‘I have so much respect for him,’ Belichick said.
Bill Belichick drawing huge crowds at ACC media days
Even for something as mundane as walking from one media hit to another inside the convention space of a Charlotte hotel, Bill Belichick has been attracting a crowd of reporters chronicling his every step — including when he’s coming out of the bathroom.
What time is Bill Belichick speaking at ACC media days?
- Date: Thursday, July 24
- Time: 2 p.m. ET
Belichick is scheduled to take the stage at ACC media days in Charlotte at 2 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 24.
What channel is ACC media days on today?
- TV channel: ACC Network
- Streaming: ESPN app | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial)
Belichick’s news conference at ACC media days, as well as all coach and player news conferences at the event, will air on the ACC Network.
Streaming options include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access; ESPN+, ESPN’s subscription streaming service; and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
Will Jordon Hudson be at ACC media days?
It’s unclear whether Belichick’s girlfriend, who he described in his memoir as his “creative muse,” will be joining him in Charlotte for ACC media days.
At the very least, Belichick will be in Charlotte with four of his players — defensive backs Thaddeus Dixon and Will Hardy, quarterback Gio Lopez and wide receiver Jordan Shipp — all of whom will also be speaking with the assembled media.
ACC media days schedule today
With Belichick serving as the headliner — which is no small feat considering he’s speaking the same day as a two-time national championship head coach in Clemson’s Dabo Swinney — here’s a rundown of what teams will be sending out their coaches and players to meet with the media Thursday:
All times Eastern
- Boston College: 10-10:30 a.m.
- Virginia Tech: 11-11:30 a.m.
- Clemson: 12-12:30 p.m.
- Duke: 1-1:30 p.m.
- North Carolina: 2-2:30 p.m.
- NC State: 3-3:30 p.m.