Bill Belichick and the UNC football program added another playmaker to its 2026 recruiting class, landing a commitment from four-star running back Jaylen McGill.
I’M A TARHEEL! 🐑🩵@UNCFootball @coachmeans_20 pic.twitter.com/froC4wj7Al
— Jaylen “JMAC” McGill “2” (@mcgilljaylen2) April 12, 2025
McGill, a 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back from Spartanburg, South Carolina, is currently viewed by 247Sports Composite as the No. 18-ranked running back in his graduating class. The original thought was that McGill would end up at Rutgers playing for Greg Schiano, but the plans changed after he made a recent visit to Chapel Hill.
The UNC football program has been interested in McGill for quite some time. North Carolina jumped into the mix while Mack Brown was still at the helm, but fell behind in McGill's recruitment likely due to the style of offense Brown utilized. With Belichick, the situation became more suitable for McGill, as the Tar Heels are set to run more of a pro-style offense that is built like an NFL offensive scheme.
As a junior (in his first season at Mountain View Prep, McGill ran for 1,658 yards to go along with 24 touchdowns in 12 games played. He also impacted the passing game, recording 22 catches for an additional 379 yards and seven scores. He spent his first two high school seasons at Broome High, where he ran for a staggering 2,638 yards and scored 47 touchdowns in 20 games.
The Tar Heels haven't had many issues recruiting talent during the early part of the Bill Belichick-era in Chapel Hill, as prospective student-athletes are drawn to playing for one of the greatest NFL coaches of all-time. If you want to play in the NFL, why not play for a guy who won six Super Bowls as a NFL head coach, as he knows what it takes to get players ready for the next level.
McGill was intrigued by the change of the guard at North Carolina, as it made all the difference to help put the UNC football program in a spot to secure a commitment from him.