Controversial football coach Bobby Petrino is reportedly set to join Bill Belichick’s staff at UNC.
Petrino – who has worked as head coach at Arkansas, Louisville and the Atlanta Falcons – is set to become the Tar Heels’ new offensive coordinator, according to reports.
Belichick is looking to right the ship after a nightmare first season in Chapel Hill, which saw UNC finish 4-8 while his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson dominate the headlines.
Now he has turned to Petrino, who has been at the center of his own college football scandal involving a young woman.
The 64-year-old father of four was fired by Arkansas in 2012 when it was discovered he had an affair with a former volleyball player, whom he then hired and gave a $20,000 gift.
The affair came to light after a motorcycle crash which left Petrino – who married wife Becky in 1985 – with a neck injury and scars across his face.
Bill Belichick is reportedly set to hire scandalized college coach Bobby Petrino for UNC
Petrino is pictured in 2012 after being released from the hospital following a motorcycle crash
It was discovered he had an affair with a former volleyball player, Jessica Dorrell (left)
He first told police officers that he was alone on his bike, but it was soon revealed that the coach had a passenger: 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell.
From there, Dorrell’s knotty history with Petrino was quickly exposed. The former volleyball player had been hired by the football program under Petrino, who had gifted her $20,000, which she used to buy a car. Petrino was later fired ‘for cause.’
Petrino had taken over at Arkansas after a brief spell with the Falcons that also ended in controversial circumstances.
Back in 2007 – midway through his first season in Atlanta – the head coach resigned in order to return to college football. He informed his players by leaving a 78-word letter in their lockers.
Petrino returned to Arkansas in November 2023, initially serving as offensive coordinator before taking over as interim head coach this season following the firing of Sam Pittman.
His proposed move to UNC comes after Belichick fired two coaches at the end of his miserable first year in charge of the Tar Heels.
The 73-year-old fired offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer.
NFL legend Belichick had a nightmare first season as head coach of the UNC Tar Heels
Petrino – pictured with wife Becky whom he married in 1985 – was hired by the Falcons in 2007
Despite hiring the most successful NFL coach of all time, UNC missed out on a bowl game for the first time since 2018, with a loss to rival NC State condemning the Tar Heels to a 4-8 season.
Kitchens spent just one season as offensive coordinator for the Tar Heels, who ranked among the worst offenses in the nation in 2025.
UNC ranked No 131 in total offense, No 121 in scoring offense (19.3) and No 119 in red-zone offense (77.1 percent scoring rate). Only seven teams scored fewer touchdowns (25).
Priefer, who has also worked as a special teams coordinator in the NFL, was only brought to North Carolina by Belichick earlier this year.
