According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, after the HBO show that follows an NFL franchise through an offseason could not find any NFL team to participate, it landed on the University of North Carolina and first-year coach Bill Belichick as a destination for this season’s show.
While half the NFL teams have appeared on the show since it was started in 2001 by HBO and NFL Films, Belichick and his New England Patriots never did the show in his 24 years as head coach of the franchise. However, now with Belichick in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the show will follow his first off-season leading the Tar Heels.
This will be the first time ‘Hard Knocks’ will collaborate with a college football program.
UNC hired Belichick in December after he could not find an NFL job. While he has been a coach since 1975, this will be the first time in his career as a college coach, so fans will get a glimpse into how the 72-year-old handles the new position.
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In the past, the show followed teams through the offseason and into training camp. However, the show followed the New York Giants through free agency and the draft last year. A major gaff for the Giants was shown when general manager Joe Schoen explained to co-owner John Mara why he wouldn’t resign running back Saquon Barkley.
Mara also mentioned how seeing Barkley sign with division rival Philadelphia Eagles would not bother him. In the end, that did happen, and Barkley played a significant role in leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship.
With Belichick guiding UNC in his first collegiate coaching season and now ‘Hard Knocks’ following them, the Tar Heels will be one of the top stories in this year’s college football season.