Report: Arthur Smith was UNC's first choice, not Bill Belichick

Before the folks at North Carolina made Bill Belichick the program's next head coach, they had a first choice.

As reported by ESPN.com, Plan A was Arthur Smith.

Smith, who played guard for the Tar Heels from 2001 through 2005, coached the Falcons for three seasons. He's now the Steelers' offensive coordinator.

Per the report, Belichick had made his interest in the job known, by contacting former Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Rubio, now the Secretary of State, then contacted North Carolina Senator Thom Thillis. Still, the UNC muckety-mucks wanted Smith as the replacement for Mack Brown.

"They were all hopeful they could lure Smith back to Chapel Hill, and then whether it was Belichick or anybody else, it would have been a moot point. Smith is who they wanted," an unnamed source told ESPN.com.

Smith was initially intrigued. He later decided not to pursue the job. That's when, per the report, the process split between candidates pursued by athletic director Bubba Cunningham and UNC board members who were intent on hiring Belichick.

And, obviously, the pro-Belichick side prevailed. And $10 million a year. And full control of the program.

But if Smith had wanted to go back to his alma mater, Belichick would potentially be not employed at all, for the second straight offseason.