There are big differences between college football and the NFL, which new North Carolina football coach Bill Belichick acknowledged during his introductory press conference on Thursday, and one of the biggest differences is recruiting.

College coaches now have to recruit on two fronts — high school and the transfer portal. Belichick said there are similarities with the NFL Draft and free agency, but they are not the same.

“I’ve had an opportunity to coach young players at various points in my career … it’s a process, and I would say, as a teacher, you try to find ways to help the students, help the players, and if you can do that, then they have a tendency to listen and want more if they’re motivated — which most of them are,” said Belichick.

Belichick’s ability to recruit high school talent is one of the questions that UNC fans will wait to see answered in the coming months. However, the Super Bowl champion coach already has plans in place for how he and his staff will approach recruiting.

“I think the recruiting process belongs to everyone. It belongs to (incoming General Manger) Michael (Lombardi) and his scouting staff, and evaluations, and setting that up in the recruiting department in terms of making this an attractive destination for the athlete,” Belichick said. “But it’s also part of the coaching job, and certainly the head coach has a big role in that as well, to ensure the athletes, the student-athletes, that you’re giving them what they want.”

Belichick said there will be situations where the fit between the school and the athlete does not work, but he believes the university has enough to offer that it will attract some of the most talented players.

Many head coaches at the collegiate level are directly involved in landing prospects, including making visits to high schools and to the homes of high school athletes. Belichick said he would “love to do that.”

“When those opportunities are there and if that was in fact the best thing to do in that process, I’m absolutely in on it. I think the majority of the head coach recruiting will be done on campus,” said Belichick. “Whatever helps our team, that’s what I want to do.”

For decades, college coaches in North Carolina have talked about “building a fence” to keep the top high school talent at in-state schools. Belichick said he wants to bring the best players from the state to UNC, but he also believes the Tar Heels can recruit nationally.

“We want to recruit well in state and in this area … there’s a lot of good football players in North Carolina, the surrounding states, but (UNC) is a national university,” he said. “This is the best public university in the country. Any kid that wants a good education, be in a good football program, be on a great campus, be in a great playing environment, we’ll recruit any kid to come here.”

Belichick said there are some kids who don’t want to attend schools outside of their region, but he expects to go into every region of the country to find the best talent.

The first recruiting test for Belichick will come this weekend. East Forsyth High School four-star quarterback Bryce Baker is set to announce his college decision on Saturday, according to his social media accounts. Baker committed to the Tar Heels in 2023, but did not sign earlier this month after Mack Brown was fired. Baker spoke with Belichick on Thursday.