Clemson defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin spoke this week about Bill Belichick taking the North Carolina head coaching job, and what it means for the ACC.

A defensive guru, Belichick had a big influence on another legendary coach – Nick Saban – and helped shape Saban’s defensive philosophy when Saban served as Belichick’s defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns in the early 1990s, and Goodwin said he has studied Belichick’s defensive concepts over the years.

“Always have studied him, being a defensive guy, and his concepts and his relationship with Nick Saban and how they’ve transformed defensive football over the last 30 years or so,” Goodwin said on Monday.

The 72-year-old Belichick, one of the best coaches in the history of the NFL, spent the 2024 season out of coaching.

Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl champion as the New England Patriots’ head coach, has never been a college coach before now, though he grew up around the college game. His father, Steve, served three years as an assistant coach at UNC before spending more than three decades as an assistant at Navy.

What does Goodwin think UNC’s hire of Belichick will mean to the ACC and college football in general, that the NFL icon is now coaching in college?

“I think it’s going to be huge for the league, getting that type of coach and leadership in the league. I think it definitely strengthens our league from that standpoint,” Goodwin said. “But I mean, I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for him to get in college as well.”

Of course, Belichick is replacing Mack Brown, who was fired by UNC after six seasons in his second stint in Chapel Hill. The Hall of Fame coach went a combined 113-78-1 over his two stints with the Tar Heels and led them to the ACC title game in 2022, when they lost to Clemson. He won a national title at Texas following his first stint at UNC, and his 288 career victories rank seventh on the FBS all-time list.

Clemson is scheduled to play the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill next season at a date to be announced.