UNC football loses prized 4-star commit less than an hour after Mack Brown was fired

Not only did the news of Mack Brown's firing shock everyone on Tuesday, but the aftermath of the decision is already taking shape.

The UNC football program lost one of it's prized commits, four-star Class of 2026 defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes. Prior to committing to North Carolina, Griffin-Haynes held 31 scholarship offers, as many programs should be heavily interested in once again pursuing him now that he's back on the market.

Two things happen when a coach is relieved of his duties.

For high school student-athletes, the player (or players) may elect to reopen their recruitment, exploring other options now that the head coach who recruited them is no longer with the program.

With regard to student-athletes on the current roster, they may elect to enter the transfer portal to explore other options, as there's no guarantee that the new coaching staff will value you as the previous regime did.

It's a messy part of a coaching shakeup, but for a program like North Carolina, the current state left them no choice but to do so.

Over the next few weeks, expect to see more players de-commit or enter the transfer portal. The program will need to sort through all this, and it starts with finding the right coach to lead UNC football into the future.