Colin Cowherd said Bill Belichick at North Carolina is going to be very similar to Deion Sanders at Colorado when the latter began in 2023. Based on the storylines, the hype, intrigue, whatever you want to call it, there will be that type of buzz by the time we get into games. College football and […]
Colin Cowherd said Bill Belichick at North Carolina is going to be very similar to Deion Sanders at Colorado when the latter began in 2023. Based on the storylines, the hype, intrigue, whatever you want to call it, there will be that type of buzz by the time we get into games.
College football and Belichick didn’t mix a few years ago, but it makes more sense now. Cowherd likened college football to the NFL at this point, based on NIL and the transfer portal.
“NIL is his friend, because he can just write checks,” Cowherd said on The Joel Klatt Show. “I do not believe six years ago, Bill succeeds at college football. He’s not eating his third pumpkin pie, knocking on doors in Shreveport. It’s not happening now. He can buy guys. So I think NIL has made it very professional, and that’s attractive to Bill. 40 transfers, I mean, come on … Bill was hard on his first and second round draft picks to start.
“He liked to draft guys, sit them, learn the system, and then play them in year two. And those were like 24 year old guys and and, you know, like Bill rarely went and spent big money in free agency until like that, one of those final years. 40 new players, limited practice time, like, I don’t know, it’s got a Colorado feel to it. That’s why it’s so ironic. They’re opening (vs.) TCU, which is who Deion opened with at Colorado and it was about a three point spread there, and it’s a three point spread here.”
With the amount of transfers, which includes 40 new players for North Carolina, Belichick’s team could be really good or hit some big lulls this season. It’s going to take a lot of effort and some luck to be really successful.
“The irony is, I think it’s going to look like Colorado. It’s gonna be talked about. They’re gonna sell out games. It’s gonna be fascinating. It’ll be great for TV ratings,” Cowherd said. “At the end of the year, you’re like, I don’t really know how good they are, but it’s like, it’s a good story. I had Mack Brown on today, and we talked about this year, Texas only took in 10 transfers. I’ve talked to coaches about this eight to 10, in a locker room full of 85, is about my max.
“You know, listen, we’re going to go get a right tackle. We got an NFL level quarterback, we got to get a corner. We are in a league that passes like I get it, but 40 new players? Limited practice time, sophisticated systems? That sounds like to me, it’s choppy, it’s not beautiful.”
North Carolina opens up against TCU, just like Colorado did two years ago. To be fair, TCU was coming off a national championship appearance so the hype for Colorado was at unprecedented levels following that win. But if Belichick and the Tar Heels win the opener, there will be a lot more eyeballs.
“I think I like TCU in the opener, and I liked TCU over Colorado in that wild shootout, but I think it shares a lot of the same storylines, fun, can’t wait, sell out crowds, TV ratings, and you’re left with, I don’t really think they’re that good,” Cowherd said. “But you know what? They’re better now than they were before Deion or Bill got there. Because I think the boosters with both stepped up and allowed them to buy some very, very special players.”
Category: General Sports
