Bill Belichick confirmed he has been in talks with North Carolina about the school's open coaching job in an interview on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday afternoon.
Sources told ESPN that talks between UNC and Belichick, 72, have continued, with some type of resolution either way expected this week.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Belichick met with North Carolina officials for five hours Sunday. A smiling Belichick declined comment when asked specifically about that interview, joking that he wanted keep his old news conference aura.
Belichick confirmed to McAfee that he has had a "couple of good conversations" with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts. He adds: "We'll see how that goes." He concluded the interview by saying about the UNC job: "We'll see. We'll see."
The NCAA transfer portal opened Monday, which leaves UNC's roster potentially in flux. Sources told ESPN that Belichick met with UNC officials in New York last week and dialogue has continued.
Belichick did talk in hypotheticals about what his college program could look like, stressing "if" he took a college job. He observed that modern college football looks a lot more like the NFL.
"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," he said. "It would be a professional program -- training, nutrition, scheme, coaching and techniques that would transfer to the NFL."
He concluded a lengthy portrait of what the program would look like by saying: "It would be an NFL program, but not at the NFL level."
Belichick has never coached at the college level but did grow up on college campuses, including his father spending three years as a UNC assistant coach.
For UNC, the candidate pool outside of Belichick is dwindling, which has increased the pressure to hire him.
Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is no longer going to be linked to the job. Tulane announced Monday that it has reached an agreement in principle with Sumrall for a contract extension.
Sumrall and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith were two names most prominently linked to the job when it opened. Smith is no longer engaged in the job. Iowa State's Matt Campbell is not expected to be a candidate.
UNC has also spoken to Army's Jeff Monken about the opening, as well as Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and former Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers head coach Steve Wilks, a source told ESPN's Chris Low.
It's uncertain how deep UNC's talks with Belichick are, per sources, other than they've gone on for an extended period.
The UNC search has been scattered, according to sources, with an uncertainty in the industry about who is running it. Board of trustees chair John P. Preyer has been a key Belichick advocate throughout the process and has galvanized a group at the school behind Belichick's potential hire.
Some people with ties to Belichick are skeptical he'd take the job, as he has never worked in college football. Others say he has been sincere and thorough in his interest and has a desire to return to the sideline.
There are issues that loom over any Belichick's courtship, including the potential role of his son Stephen Belichick, UNC's NIL resources, Belichick's salary and resources for the staff.
Belichick made clear as of Monday afternoon that he's still involved with the job. And there's plenty of ancillary signs on the landscape that support that.
Representatives from UNC's collective have hypothetically discussed players' potential interest if Belichick took the job. They stressed that nothing was done but they have held discussions about the idea.
Third parties have also been calling potential staff members for a college job should a deal come together, per sources. Belichick's exploration has included a dive on nearly every aspect of college coaching and how it would look.