North Carolina Football Recruiting: Bill Belichick making waves in first cycle

Many of the initial questions surrounding North Carolina’s hiring of new head coach Bill Belichick had to do with recruiting in the new-age college football world: How would the former NFL skipper adjust to connecting with high schoolers? How would he handle wheeling and dealing on the NIL front?

As it turns out, the 73-year-old and his new staff in Chapel Hill are holding their own quite well on the trail. That currently remains the case, despite a doleful first season this fall.

As of Oct. 7, the Tar Heels have a jam-packed class, with 36 commitments already in the fold. That class ranks No. 18 nationally, according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

Ten four-stars headline the class for Belichick and Co. At the top is Detroit Cass Tech four-star athlete CJ Sadler, the No. 1 recruit in Michigan. He and Winston-Salem (N.C.) East Forsyth four-star offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz are among the latest major additions to the class.

Jackson (Ala.) four-star wide receiver Keeyun Chapman is a top-20 wideout and headlined the major wins for UNC in July. Bluffton (S.C.) WR Carnell Warren was a former Virginia Tech pledge and opted to join UNC’s class on July 9. Houston Cy Ranch linebacker Calvin Thomas committed three days later, while Avon (Ohio) safety Jakob Weatherspoon announced a surprising flip from Ohio State to the Tar Heels on July 16.

At the end of May, UNC landed Loganville (Ga.) Grayson quarterback Travis Burgess over Auburn and NC State. Burgess, an Elite 11 Finals participant, has seen his stock soar now ranks as the nation’s No. 13 signal-caller.

The entire North Carolina class to date can be seen below:

UNC Tar Heels commitments by position

Quarterback
Four-star Travis Burgess, No. 186 NATL. (No. 13 QB)

Running Back
Three-star Crew Davis, No. 615 NATL. (No. 37 RB)

Wide Receiver
Four-star Keeyun Chapman, No. 137 NATL. (No. 18 WR)
Four-star Carnell Warren, No. 261 NATL. (No. 45 WR)
Three-star O’Mari Johnson, No. 523 NATL. (No. 81 WR)
Three-star Kei’Maurii Miles, No. 1,181 NATL. (No. 180 WR)
Three-star Zamaurious Robertson, No. 1,358 NATL. (No. 206 WR)

Tight End
Four-star Carson Sneed, No. 373 NATL. (No. 17 TE)
Three-star Cooper McCutchan, No. 1,125 NATL. (No. 69 TE)

Interior Offensive Lineman
Three-star Will Conroy, No. 536 NATL. (No. 51 IOL)
Three-star Zion Smith, No. 585 NATL. (No. 50 IOL)
Three-star Anthony Hall, No. 733 NATL. (No. 69 IOL)
Three-star Mason Wilhelm, No. 1,212 NATL. (No. 111 IOL)
Three-star Eli Rickell, No. 1,282 NATL. (No. 119 IOL)

Offensive Tackle
Four-star J.B. Shabazz, No. 308 NATL. (No. 28 OT)
Three-star Nick Fiumara, No. 961 NATL. (No. 72 OT)

Defensive Lineman
Four-star Trashawn Ruffin, No. 300 NATL. (No. 33 DL)
Three-star Viliami Moala, No. 448 NATL. (No. 43 DL)
Three-star Jimmy Alo-Suliafu, No. 605 NATL. (No. 64 DL)
Three-star David Jackson, No. 1,128 NATL. (No. 111 DL)

EDGE
Four-star Zavion Griffin-Haynes, No. 356 NATL. (No. 38 EDGE)
Three-star Ashton Blatt, No. 589 NATL. (No. 62 EDGE)
Three-star Lawrence Brown, No. 1,673 NATL. (No. 142 EDGE)

Linebacker
Four-star Calvin Thomas, No. 311 NATL. (No. 21 LB)
Three-star Jayden Griffin-Haynes, No. 1,267 NATL. (No. 113 LB)

Cornerback
Three-star Xavier Jackson, No. 669 NATL. (No. 64 CB)
Three-star Keegan Chapman, No. 764 NATL. (No. 71 CB)
Three-star Jaden Jefferson, No. 905 NATL. (No. 84 CB)
Three-star Marcellous Ryan, No. 1,184 NATL. (No. 116 CB)

Safety
Four-star Jakob Weatherspoon, No. 155 NATL. (No. 16 S)
Three-star Jamarrion Gordon, No. 716 NATL. (No. 65 S)
Three-star Julian Burns, No. 779 NATL. (No. 77 S)
Three-star Darien Lewis, No. 1,445 NATL. (No. 147 S)

Athlete
Four-star CJ Sadler, No. 126 NATL. (No. 5 ATH)
Three-star Aveon Williams, No. 628 NATL. (No. 17 ATH)
Three-star Aidan Woods, No. 1,596 NATL. (No. 43 ATH)

Specialty
K David Green