UNC was initially looking to hire Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, according to a report from ESPN. The post Bill Belichick reportedly wasn’t UNC AD’s first choice for head coach vacancy appeared first on Boston.

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The North Carolina Tar Heels wanted to hire former offensive lineman Arthur Smith as head coach. UNC went a different direction with Bill Belichick.

North Carolina actually preferred failed NFL head coach Arthur Smith, a Tar Heels alum, over Bill Belichick as its next head coach, according to ESPN. Once Smith, the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, opted to stay in the NFL, it cleared the path for Belichick to take the reins in Chapel Hill.

Bill Belichick made the biggest splash by far in college football’s coaching carousel this offseason, but he may not have been North Carolina’s first choice to

Bill Belichick is back on the practice sidelines again, though now in college at North Carolina. The 72-year-old coach who won six Super Bowls with the NFL's New England Patriots opened spring practices at UNC this week.

In a lengthy exposé detailing how the talks to hire Belichick unfolded, ESPN reported UNC AD Bubba Cunningham had Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in mind to take over the football program before Brown's departure became official.