CHARLOTTE — Bill Belichick took the stage Thursday in front of a ballroom packed with reporters and shielded his eyes. The lights were indeed bright, though not too bright for the six-time Super Bowl -winning head coach.

First-year North Carolina coach Bill Belichick shrugged off concerns his personal life potentially created a distraction within the football team, describing it as "noise."

The ACC communications staff received more credential applications this year than ever before. Belichick is almost certainly the reason for that. On campus, UNC also announced the earliest sellout for season and single-game tickets in school history this week despite raising prices 25%.

There's plenty of intrigue and skepticism about whether Belichick's NFL success will translate to the college game

Belichick's message to recruits: "We’re not trying to overhype or oversell something we can’t deliver. We’re trying to sell who we are."

O’Brien believes Belichick’s presence will be transformative in Chapel Hill.