UNC football flipping a 4-star Ohio State commit just got even better

I know we've posted a lot about how amazing UNC is recruiting under Bill Belichick, but it has to be said. One of the big, if not the biggest, questions when Belichick took the job was how this 73-year-old man who hadn't coached in college since...ever...would recruit high school prospects.

Could Belichick relate to these 18-year-old kids? How would he handle this world of NIL deals and the transfer portal?

So far, he's handling it pretty damn well and has the 17th-best recruiting class in the nation after flipping four-star safety Jakob Weatherspoon from Ohio State  . 

Weatherspoon wasn't one of those flips where the original school silently backed off because they had targets rated higher on their board. Weatherspoon was an in-state recruit who had recently been part of a big recruiting weekend in Columbus along with at least a half dozen other verbal pledges. 

​Throughout his coaching career, Belichick has been very committed to a process and that shows in the way he and his staff have been recruiting. Within the first few days of Belichick arriving on campus, he put his immediate focus on retaining in-state quarterback prospect Bryce Baker. 

Retaining Baker became the springboard to Belichick building a strong quarterback room at UNC in just a few months. By the end of the year, UNC will welcome four-star quarterback Travis Burgess to the fold, adding another blue-chip prospect to the quarterback room for next spring, where they will presumably compete for the backup role behind returning starter Gio Lopez. 

Balance is the key for UNC's 2026 recruiting class

​Belichick is doing a full roster overhaul, which means the classes need to be balanced. The 2026 class accomplishes that by bringing in prospects at every position with plenty of.young depth along the lines, at receiver and in the secondary. 

Here's how the commitments break down by position: Quarterback (1), running back (1), wide receivers (5), tight ends (2), offensive linemen (6), defensive linemen (4), edge rushers (3), cornerbacks (4), safeties (2).

The success in footbal recruiting proves that Belichick is pushing the right buttons get UNC football to a good place.