Tar Heels add former Super Bowl-winning defender to coaching staff
With spring practices just around the corner, Bill Belichick and North Carolina are adding another familiar face to their new head coach on the Tar Heels coaching staff. Former New England Patriots Super Bowl-winning linebacker Jamie Collins will join his former head coach at the collegiate level as a defensive assistant.
Collins joins the ranks of coaching for the first time in his post-playing career. His decade-long NFL career began with Bill Belichick in New England being drafted out of Southern Miss. He played from 2013-2016 in Foxborough, leading the NFL in forced fumbles in 2015, the same year he was selected to his only NFL Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro.
After that, he made his way to the Cleveland Browns for three seasons before going back to Foxborough for a season. He played from 2020 to 2021 with the Detroit Lions before ending his career back in New England, eventually retiring in 2023.
Retired All-Pro LB Jamie Collins, who won Super Bowl XLIX with the Patriots, is joining his former head coach Bill Belichick's coaching staff at the University of North Carolina.Collins will serve as a defensive assistant for @UNCFootball. @UNC @JamieLee601 pic.twitter.com/k5rkTZ73J1
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) February 7, 2025
Collins finished his NFL career with 708 tackles, 26.5 sacks, 39 deflected passes, 12 interceptions, 19 forced fumbles, and 11 fumble recoveries.
Jamie Collins will work under Belichick's son, Steve Belichick, who is the presumed defensive coordinator for the Tar Heels. We also know that Bill Belichick has hired defensive assistants Bob Diaco and Armand Hawkins. Collins joins Ty Nichols as a defensive assistant/analyst.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football and Bill Belichick add Jamie Collins to coaching staff
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