Colin Cowherd Compares Bill Belichick at UNC to Deion Sanders at Colorado
Colin Cowherd drew a comparison between Bill Belichick’s upcoming stint at North Carolina and Deion Sanders’ first season at Colorado in 2023. Cowherd believes that, much like Sanders’ arrival at Colorado, the buzz surrounding Belichick’s transition to college football will be huge, generating a lot of hype and intrigue by the time the games begin.
While college football and Belichick didn’t seem like a natural fit a few years ago, Cowherd now sees it as a much better match, given the current landscape of the sport with NIL deals and the transfer portal.
“NIL is his friend,” Cowherd said on The Joel Klatt Show. “Belichick can just write checks now. Six years ago, Bill wouldn’t have succeeded in college football. He wasn’t knocking on doors in Shreveport, trying to recruit kids. Now, he can buy players. The professionalization of college football with NIL makes it much more appealing to him.”
Cowherd pointed out that Belichick’s traditional method in the NFL was to draft and develop players, letting them learn the system for a year before seeing the field. With 40 transfers joining North Carolina, the setup has a similar vibe to Colorado’s transformation under Sanders. Cowherd also noted the irony of Belichick’s UNC debut being against TCU, just like Sanders’ first game at Colorado.
“With 40 new players and limited practice time, it could be really good or it could have some significant down periods this season,” Cowherd explained. “It’s going to be a lot of effort, with a touch of luck involved for success. But it’s going to be a fascinating story. They’ll sell out games and make great TV, but at the end of the year, we may not be sure how good they really are. But it’ll be an interesting journey, just like Colorado last season.”
He also added that, while North Carolina’s situation with so many new players will be challenging, it’s clear that the program is better off than before Belichick arrived, largely due to the financial support from boosters.
“Even if they’re not great, they’ll be better than they were before. The boosters have stepped up and helped bring in some very special talent,” Cowherd said. “It’s going to be a fun ride, with sellout crowds and high TV ratings, but at the end of the day, we’ll be left wondering how good they really are.”
No Comment! Be the first one.