Kliff Kingsbury will need to see it to believe it.
The Washington Commanders offensive coordinator, a former head coach at Texas Tech, still has his doubts about Bill Belichick coaching UNC.
“We’ll see how the NFL job search goes and all that,” Kingsbury said on Thursday, per NBC Sports. “I will have to see [Belichick] on the sideline, coaching, in Chapel Hill, to believe that it is happening.”
Well, barring some last-second interception of seismic and unprecedented proportions, it certainly seems to be happening.
Belichick, 72, held his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill on Thursday, just one day after the news broke that a deal was being finalized to bring the six-time Super Bowl champion in on a five-year contract.
“I’ve always wanted to coach in college football,” Belichick said at Thursday’s ceremony. “It just never really worked out.”
The second-winningest head coach in NFL history continued: “This was really a dream come true. I grew up in college football with my dad, who was in it for 50 years. All I knew was college football. It’s great to be back in Carolina, an environment I grew up in.”
Before the 302 regular season wins and the 31 postseason wins, before the dynasty in New England and the unceremonious break-up with Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, before the roast and the Ring and the bike rides through Nantucket, lil’ Bill was just a toddler looking up towards coach Dad.
Steve Belichick, Bill’s father, was an assistant coach with the Tar Heels from 1953-55.
Later, he moved on to Navy, where he served as an assistant from 1956-89.
Bill’s decision sent shockwaves all throughout the collegiate and professional ranks.
Lawrence Taylor, for one, is thrilled.
Less excited, perhaps, are a number of NFL general managers and owners who were holding out hope that one of the greatest minds in the game would come out of temporary-retirement to lead their squad.
Belichick had been linked to a number of head coaching vacancies and his desertion from the race makes the pool just a bit thinner.
For aspirants such as, perhaps, Kingsbury, it might be a blessing. No disguise.
Kingsbury, the former Cardinals head coach, is a prime candidate for the Bears’ head coaching job and is likely to get looks from some of the league’s other organizations.
“I don’t see my man doing a home visit,” Kingsbury quipped on Thursday.
Kingsbury knows the lay of the land, in part, because he did the whole college thing last year.
The 45-year-old former quarterback served as a senior offensive assistant at USC, where quarterback Caleb Williams, now of the Bears, was playing out his final year of college ball.