LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is returning to coaching with the University of North Carolina (UNC), the US college confirmed on Wednesday.

North Carolina confirmed the appointment in a post on X, formerly Twitter, following multiple US media reports that Belichick was signing on a three-year $30-million deal.

“I am excited for the opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill,” Belichick said in a statement.

“I grew up around college football with my Dad and treasured those times. I have always wanted to coach in college and now I look forward to building the football program in Chapel Hill.”

Belichick has not coached since parting company with the Patriots in January after a 24-year reign that yielded six Super Bowl victories.

The taciturn 72-year-old has repeatedly been linked to National Football League (NFL) coaching positions during his break from the sport and went through multiple interviews with the Atlanta Falcons in January only for the team to ultimately pass in favor of Raheem Morris.

Since then Belichick’s name has been mentioned in connection with coaching vacancies at the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears.

Belichick was also seen as a potential replacement for under-pressure Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy.

Belichick is widely regarded as the greatest coach in NFL history, winning six Super Bowls alongside quarterback Tom Brady and two other rings as an assistant coach with the New York Giants in a coaching career that spanned an incredible 49 years.

By opting to test his skills in college football, Belichick is following in the footsteps of his father Steve, who was an assistant coach at the University of North Carolina from 1953-1955.

After it emerged last week that Belichick had interviewed for the North Carolina job, he told ESPN’s Pat McAfee Show on Monday that he planned to bring the professionalism of the NFL to the Tar Heels’ collegiate program.

“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL. It would be a professional program — training, nutrition, scheme, coaching, techniques that would transfer to the NFL,” Belichick said.

“It would be an NFL program at a college level, and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was at the end of their college career or at the end of their pro career.”

“But it would be geared toward developing the player, time management, discipline, structure and all that would be life skills regardless of whether they were in the NFL or somewhere in business.”

“I feel very confident that I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players that would have the ability to have the opportunity to compete in the National Football League.”