How old is new North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick?

In a plot twist that once seemed too unbelievable even for the perpetually unpredictable sport of college football, Bill Belichick is going to be the next head coach of the North Carolina football program.

After days of intense speculation and reports linking him to the vacancy, the legendary former NFL coach has inked a deal to lead the Tar Heels, according to multiple reports Wednesday. Ian Rapoport was among those who reported the deal as official.

Though his fortunes waned later in his tenure with the New England Patriots, Belichick enters college football with a resume as impressive as any coach in football history, college or professional. Over 24 seasons with the Patriots, he went 266-121, won six Super Bowls and made the Super Bowl on three other occasions. His six Super Bowl victories are the most of any coach in NFL history.

At North Carolina, he’ll be taking over a program long discussed as a metaphorical sleeping giant. Though they have several inherent advantages — a prestigious academic school with a strong brand and a location in a populated, talent-rich state — the Tar Heels have won at least nine games only twice since 1998 and haven’t won an ACC championship since 1980.

Still, questions remain about the newly finalized marriage. How will someone who spent his entire coaching career in the NFL navigate the college game, particularly in the age of the transfer portal and name, image and likeness deals? How will he handle a program with so many stakeholders, from administrators to trustees to boosters? Can he recruit? Perhaps most of all, and after an underwhelming end to his time in New England, how effective of a coach is he?

Many of these concerns center in some part around age and whether Belichick is properly equipped to handle this kind of transition at this late stage of his career,

Here’s what you need to know about Belichick’s age and how he compares to other college football coaches:

How old is Bill Belichick?

Born on April 16, 1952, Belichick is 72 years old and will be 73 by the time North Carolina’s 2025 season kicks off.

Belichick is only nine months younger than the man he’s replacing, Mack Brown, who went 44-33 in his second stint with the Tar Heels before being fired in late November.

Oldest college football coaches

At 72 years old, Belichick immediately becomes the oldest head coach at the FBS level of college football.

Brown previously owned that distinction before his ouster last month.

Belichick is the only FBS coach in his 70s, as the next-oldest coach, Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, is 69 and doesn’t turn 70 until August.

Here’s a look at the 10 oldest coaches in the FBS, with Belichick leading the list:

Bill Belichick (North Carolina): 72
Kirk Ferentz (Iowa): 69
K.C. Keeler (Temple): 65 years, 4 months, 16 days
Kyle Whittingham (Utah): 65 years, 21 days
Willie Fritz (Houston): 64
Curt Cignetti (Indiana): 63 years, 6 months, 10 days
Brian Kelly (LSU): 63 years, 1 month, 17 days
Jim Mora (UConn): 63 years, 23 days
Sam Pittman (Arkansas): 63 years, 14 days
Jay Norvell (Colorado State): 61 years, 8 months, 14 days

Has Bill Belichick ever coached in college?

Belichick has never coached at the college level in an official capacity, instead spending the entirety of his nearly 50-year coaching career in the NFL.

He does have tangential connections to college football. Belichick’s father, Steve, was a longtime college coach who spent much of his career as an assistant at Navy, though before heading to Annapolis, he was the backfield coach at North Carolina for three seasons, from 1953-55. Belichick’s son, also named Steve, just finished his first season as the defensive coordinator at Washington and is widely expected to join his father at North Carolina in some capacity.