Feb 28, 2025, 01:45 PM ET

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    Belichick was hired as North Carolina coach in December for his first foray into the college ranks, and he brought on Lombardi to serve as the team’s general manager.

    Lombardi said the possibility of getting a look at how Belichick runs the team would be compelling.

    “There’s not many times you can have the greatest coach of all time take you into a meeting,” Lombardi said.

    Belichick never took part in “Hard Knocks” during his NFL coaching career, as the New England Patriots were never selected for the program, which debuted in 2001.

    According to Front Office Sports, North Carolina was chosen, in part, due to reluctance from NFL teams to participate in the offseason version of the show after the Giants drew scrutiny due largely to revelations related to their decision not to re-sign running back Saquon Barkley.

    “If you’re doing ‘Hard Knocks,’ you’ve gotta really be able to teach a class … on how this all happens,” Lombardi said.