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New UNC head coach Bill Belichick visits top 2026 Tar Heels recruiting target

Wg0vf-nP_400x400by:Keegan Pope•01/06/25•

bykeeganpope

Bill Belichick, UNC
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick is wasting no time rebuilding his roster at North Carolina through the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The Tar Heels have added 11 new players since he took over on December 11, with a heavy emphasis along the offensive and defensive lines. But Belichick is also working for the future of his team, making his first known visits to recruits on Monday morning.

Four-star 2026 EDGE and former Tar Heels commit Zavion Griffin-Haynes posted a photo of the two together at Griffin-Haynes’ school early on Monday. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder is one of the state’s top prospects in the junior class and will be a major target for Belichick and his staff as they look to build their first-ever recruiting class.

Because of the firing of former head coach Mack Brown and the later addition of Belichick, UNC signed only 10 recruits in the 2025 class, a group that ranked No. 75 nationally and No. 17 in the ACC. They’ll likely be adding to the roster heavily through the portal early on, but the crop of 2026 recruits in the state is strong.

17 players from the state rank among the top 350 nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking. That includes a pair of five-stars committed elsewhere — QB Faizon Brandon and TE Kendre Harrison — who the Tar Heels will no doubt look to flip.

Haynes will also be a top target, and he told On3 after Belichick’s hiring that he is excited to be recruited by the NFL coaching legend.

“It’s a great feeling knowing that a great coach is coming to UNC to keep the program alive,” he said. Knowing that I just decommitted they’re still pushing at me hard and staying in contact so that still keeps them a top school for me.”

Haynes is the No. 178 overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also ranks as the nation’s No. 17 EDGE and No. 10 recruit in North Carolina.