Former Arkansas, Louisville HC Bobby Petrino reportedly set to join Bill Belichick at UNC as new OC

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The University of North Carolina is working on bringing in former Arkansas and Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino as Bill Belichick’s new offensive coordinator, according to reports by On3. 

Petrino is reportedly set to join UNC following a 0-7 run as interim head coach of the Razorbacks in 2025, marking his second stint at the SEC school. Belichick and the Tar Heels are coming off a rather disappointing first year of the Belichick era, finishing the season 4-8 with a 2-6 record in the ACC. 

Prior to this brief stint as interim head coach at Arkansas, Petrino had been the team’s OC since 2024 and served as Texas A&M's OC in 2023. Petrino has a long coaching legacy in college football dating back to 2003, when he got his first head coaching gig with Louisville. Overall, Petrino’s journey as a football coach began two decades earlier in 1983 as a graduate assistant for Carroll College.

In 1999, Petrino ventured into the NFL for the first time, joining the Jacksonville Jaguars as quarterback coach and eventually being promoted to OC. That run lasted just three years, and by 2002, Petrino made his way back to college, taking a job at Auburn as OC. In terms of success, Petrino’s first NFL run started strong with the Jaguars making the AFC title game and finishing the regular season 14-2 in his first year. 

His most successful stints came as head coach for Louisville (2003-2006, 2014-2018), where Petrino’s teams qualified for bowl games in eight out of nine seasons. Petrino’s first stint at Arkansas from 2008 to 2011 was also quite successful, as they appeared in bowl games three out of four years. In 2007, Petrino got the opportunity to be an NFL head coach with the Atlanta Falcons and quickly realized he was better suited for college football when he abruptly resigned to take the Razorbacks' job. The Falcons were 3-10 under Petrino.

This story will be updated.

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