Bill Belichick has been the head coach of North Carolina football for merely a month and there are already rumors abound that he’s poised to leap back to the NFL. One particular development (or, more appropriately, lack thereof) is reportedly making the university, as well as ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, nervous there’s truth to those rumors.

On Monday, Mike Florio reported for Pro Football Talk that Belichick’s slow hiring process for his staff is worrying the higher-ups at UNC and in the conference. To date, Belichick has only hired seven coaches for his staff despite having $10 million to work with.

“Maybe it’s part of a broader plan,” Florio wrote after listing out the limited hires Belichick has made in the weeks since he took the job. “Regardless, it’s making people nervous, from the athletic director all the way up to (we’re told) the ACC Commissioner.”

While last week’s rumors connecting the Hall of Fame coach to the Las Vegas Raiders have been shot down in several different ways, the fear that Belichick will leave college at the first available opportunity is a difficult one to shake. And UNC obviously believed it was a possibility as evidenced by the huge buyout required from Belichick if he wants to terminate his contract with the Tar Heels before June 1 of this year.

For the worry to shake the tree all the way up to Phillips at the top of the conference is a bit surprising, but Belichick is going to be a huge draw for ACC viewership. Losing that would be a big publicity blow, as would the optics of UNC getting left in the dust by the all-time great coach.

It seems UNC will just have to hold its breath until all the open NFL jobs are filled. Or until Belichick hires a full staff, apparently. Whichever comes first.