Former Patriots All-Pro to Join Bill Belichick's UNC Staff

The football world was given quite a surprise when the University of North Carolina named Bill Belichick as their new head coach in January. The 72-year-old coaching genius has decided to give coaching college football a try after a historic run with the New England Patriots that resulted in six Super Bowl victories across his 24-year run.

Belichick's UNC coaching staff has been taking shape since he officially inked his contract last month. The former Patriots HC isn't close to being done with expanding his staff and his latest hire is a former NFL defender who New England fans know too well.

Patriots News: Bill Belichick Adds Jamie Collins to UNC Staff

On Friday, former Patriots All-Pro linebacker Jamie Collins revealed toTMZ Sports that he's joining Belichick's UNC staff as a defensive analyst.

"I'm trying to step into another lane that I think I'll be great at, and that's coaching," Collins said. "Blessed for the opportunity... I love (Belichick) and he love me, obviously. You know, he can't get rid of me, so we'll see how that will work out."

Collins was right when he said that Belichick can't get rid of him. The former Southern Miss defender — who was drafted 52nd overall by the Patriots in 2013 — spent three stints in New England, most recently playing under the legendary coach in 2022, which was the former's final NFL campaign.

Having said that, the McCall Creek, MS native has never held a coaching position, leaving fans to wonder what his role with the Tar Heels will look like.

"I'm all over the place right now with the whole defense but I would mainly like to work with the LBs," Collins said about his responsibilities. "I just feel like I can do more, give more to the linebacker position."

Collins went on to add that he's "grateful" to be coaching with Belichick and will work wherever he's needed, whether that's with linebackers or even the secondary. It's that sort of willingness to be versatile that made the two-time Super Bowl Champion one of his former coach's favorite players.

Taking his three stints into account, Collins racked up 251 solo tackles, 18.5 sacks, 26 defended passes, 13 forced fumbles, and nine interceptions across 79 games played in a Patriots jersey. That's without mentioning his 37 tackles, five broken-up passes, three sacks, and two INTs in nine playoff outings.

At the end of the day, it's nice to see two Patriots fan favorites teaming up again after everything they accomplished in New England. Who knows? Perhaps Collins will gain enough experience to coach for the Pats one day.

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