It’s never too late to go back to school. Bill Belichick, a college football head coach for the first time after nearly four decades in the NFL, can attest to that.

Belichick agreed to become North Carolina’s next coach on Wednesday, completing what promises to be one of the most fascinating experiments in the history of the sport.

Somehow, Belichick actually represents a younger route for the Tar Heels. He replaces Mack Brown, who was the oldest coach in college football at 73 last season. Belichick may be old, but he is a little younger than Brown. Still, UNC is taking a significant risk by handing the keys to the new oldest coach in college football, even considering his success in the NFL.

Here’s a look at where Belichick ranks among the oldest college football coaches.

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How old is Bill Belichick?

Belichick is 72 years old. He’s expected to turn 73 in April, so he’ll be 73 when he coaches his first game in North Carolina.

Despite his age, Belichick wasn’t the oldest head coach in the NFL in his final season with the Patriots. Seattle’s Pete Carroll, who was released by the Seahawks the day before Belichick parted ways with the Patriots, was (and still is) eight months his senior.

Oldest coaches in college football

1. Bill Belichick, North Carolina

• Old: 72
• Experience: 1st season
• Record: 0-0

The oldest FBS head coach who has no experience at the college level shows how unusual the whole situation is.

Although Belichick has a clean 0-0 record at North Carolina, he went 302-165 as an NFL head coach with six Super Bowl rings. That, along with his plan to transform the Tar Heels into an NFL-like program, was enough to convince the school to offer him the job.

2. Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

• Old: 69
• Experience: 27th season
• Record: 204-123

From college inexperience to experience, Ferentz is the longest-tenured head coach in the country as he enters his 27th season at Iowa. The four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year hasn’t had a losing season since 2012, and Iowa has won at least 10 games in three of his last six seasons.

While offense is routinely a problem for the Hawkeyes, Ferentz’s defenses have been so dominant that the program has made a habit of finishing in the Big Ten’s upper echelon.

3. KC Keeler, Temple

• Old: 65
• Experience: 3rd season
• Record: 12-12

Keeler, who was recently hired as Temple’s head coach, spent 11 seasons as head coach at FCS Delaware before moving to Sam Houston State in 2023. The Bearkats went from 3-9 on the year to 9-3 as a sophomore, earning Keeler the Philadelphia job as he tries to complete a Curt Cignetti-like arc through the college football ranks.

4. Kyle Whittingham, Utah

• Old: 65
• Experience: 21st season
• Record: 167-86

Whittingham replaced Urban Meyer at Utah in 2005 and has been at the helm of the Utes ever since, winning back-to-back Pac-12 titles in 2021 and 2022. He just suffered his first losing season since 2013 due to quarterback injuries, but Whittingham has never gone worse than 5-7 at Utah and has 17 win seasons in 20 years.

Whittingham considered resigning after this season, but decided to return for a 21st season.

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5. Willie Fritz, Houston

• Old: 64
• Experience: 12th season
• Record: 75-62

Fritz is entering his second season in Houston after leading the Cougars to a disappointing 4-8 season in 2024. He spent the last eight seasons at Tulane, where he was around .500 early in his tenure but took the Green Wave to new levels with a combined record of 23-4 between 2022 and 2023.

6. Curt Cignetti, Indiana

• Old: 63
• Experience: 4th season
• Record: 30-5

Cignetti is entering his fourth season at the FBS level, but he is just as experienced as anyone else on the roster. He spent five seasons at James Madison before transferring to Indiana, including three at the FCS level, and also served as head coach at FCS Elon and Division II IUP.

Cignetti went 19-4 in James Madison’s first two FBS seasons and led the Hoosiers to an 11-1 record in the College Football Playoff.

7. Brian Kelly, LSU

• Old: 63
• Experience: 22nd season
• Record: 194-73

Kelly is in his fourth stint as a head coach, having started his career at Central Michigan and Cincinnati before taking the job at Notre Dame after the 2009 season. Kelly posted a 113-40 record with the Fighting Irish and reached the national championship game in 2012. He is 28-11 in three seasons at LSU.

8. Jim Mora, UConn

• Old: 63
• Experience: 10th season
• Record: 63-50

Mora, son of the former NFL coach of the same name, spent six seasons at UCLA before being fired in 2017. He started strong, leading the Bruins to a 29-11 record in his first three seasons before finishing with two losing campaigns. Entering his fourth season at UConn, Mora posted an 8-4 record in 2024, earning the Huskies a trip to the Fenway Bowl.

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9. Sam Pittman, Arkansas

• Old: 63
• Experience:6
• Record: 29-31

Pittman got his first head coaching opportunity after numerous stints as an offensive line coach, including a stint at Georgia. His tenure at Arkansas was mixed, with two winning seasons, two losing seasons and a 6-6 season to even it all out in 2024.

10. Jay Norvell, Colorado State

• Old: 61
• Experience: 9th season
• Record: 49-46

Norvell, who famously dislikes Deion Sanders’ Colorado program, is coming off his best season yet at Colorado State. The Rams went 8-4 in 2024, giving Norvell his first winning season with the program. Norvell posted a 33-26 record in five seasons at Nevada.