While the head coaching focus of the UNC football program is still on Bill Belichick, another interesting name has been floating around as a potential candidate for the job.

On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Steve Wilks, a longtime assistant at both the college and NFL levels, has applied for the position. When that interview took place and whether Wilks is a legitimate candidate at this point is still uncertain.

Wilks has a coaching resume that dates back to 1995. Wilks began his coaching career at Johnson C. Smith, worked his way up there, and landed a role as Notre Dame’s defensive line coach during the 2004 season. From there, Wilks took his talents to the NFL, joining the Washington team in a similar role.

From there, Wilks spent time with the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers before being named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Unfortunately, Wilk’s tenure only lasted one season as the organization decided to part ways after a 3-13 season. He served as an assistant at both the NFL and college levels until being named interim head coach of the Carolina Panthers for the 2022 season.

There have been many names floated around as potential candidates, but it is very interesting to see when this news came. Is the delay because North Carolina can’t come to terms with Belichick, or are there other candidates making the decision even more difficult?

Only time will tell.