Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he reached out to North Carolina鈥檚 Bill Belichick this past spring about staging a scrimmage between their programs, drawing inspiration from NFL minicamps.Bielema, who worked on Belichick鈥檚 staff with the New England Patriots from 2018 to 2019, said the idea stemmed from conversations around a now-denied proposal by Colorado and Syracuse to hold a joint spring game.While the NCAA blocked the plan, it sparked interest among coaches.鈥淭he one thing that was really intriguing to me in the NFL was those minicamps where teams would get together and compete,鈥 Bielema said, according to On3. 鈥淭his past spring, I saw when Colorado and Syracuse were talking about getting together鈥 That鈥檚 when I reached out to him [Belichick] – 鈥楬ey, if we could go a little challenge with North Carolina and Illinois, either now or in the future, would you be interested?鈥欌滷ormer Patriots head coach Bill Belichick – Source: ImagnBielema said both staffs share similar values, and that the Tar Heels under Belichick are 鈥渋n a better position than many think.鈥 He also praised the former NFL coach鈥檚 staff, calling it 鈥渁 really good group of coaches.鈥滱lthough NCAA rules prevented the proposed scrimmage, Bret Bielema鈥檚 pitch reflects broader momentum behind reimagining spring football. With potential rule changes on the horizon, coaches like Bielema and Belichick could be laying the groundwork for a future in which intersquad spring matchups become a regular feature of the offseason.Bill Belichick vies for DL Manoah Faupasa in high-stakes July decisionThree-star defensive lineman Manoah Faupasa will announce his commitment on July 5, choosing between Colorado, North Carolina and Arizona. Oklahoma State and Maryland round out his top five.Faupasa visited Colorado and Arizona in June and made an April stop at North Carolina, now led by longtime NFL coach Bill Belichick. The Buffaloes are leaning on new defensive line coach Domata Peko and senior analyst Warren Sapp to build what they call a “Poly pipeline” to Boulder, according to Sports Illustrated. Both former NFL standouts have made strong impressions on the California native.Colorado hopes Peko鈥檚 background and Sapp鈥檚 NFL r茅sum茅 can swing a key win for Deion Sanders’ 2026 recruiting class. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are pursuing Faupasa as part of Belichick鈥檚 effort to retool UNC鈥檚 front seven.Whichever staff lands Faupasa will add a physical, 6-2, 295-pound interior presence to its defensive line rotation.Also Read: Josh Pate pours cold water on Bill Belichick and UNC’s chance to win ACC championship over Dabo Swinney’s Clemson