Breaking News: Will Friend Expected to Join North Carolina as Offensive Line Coach
Experienced SEC assistant coach Will Friend is in the process of finalizing an agreement to join Bill Belicheck's staff at North Carolina as the team's offensive line coach, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel on Wednesday.
The 48-year-old Friend most recently served as the offensive coordinator at Western Kentucky, where the Hilltoppers ranked 26th in the nation in passing yards per game (264.6).
Friend has previously held the position of offensive line coach at Mississippi State (2023), Auburn (2021-22), Tennessee (2018-20), and Georgia (2011-2014), where he helped lead the Bulldogs' offense to record-breaking numbers in 2012 and 2013.
He also spent three years as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Colorado State, where he oversaw an offense that ranked 11th in the nation and first in the Mountain West in total offense (492.5 yards per game) in 2017.
According to Thamel, Friend is known as a skilled recruiter in the southern region.
In addition to Friend, the Tar Heels are also expected to bring on longtime NFL special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, per Thamel's report.
Priefer, 58, has been a special teams coach in the NFL since 2006 and most recently served as the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 2019-2022.
Belichick may have been drawn to Priefer's background as a graduate and former graduate assistant at Navy (1994-1996), as Belichick's father was a coach and scout at Navy for 33 years.
