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Bill Belichick Lands Highest-Rated UNC Recruit Yet in Flip From SEC Program

Tim Capurso

Belichick speaks to the media.
Belichick speaks to the media. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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In another recruiting coup for Bill Belichick's Tar Heels, four-star defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to North Carolina, Ruffin announced on social media on Monday.

Ruffin, from Mount Olive, N.C., is 247Sports's No. 195 prospect. He's ranked No. 238 in ESPN's Junior 300. Both outlets had him ranked as the 12th-ranked prospect from the state of North Carolina in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

He is now the No. 1 prospect pledged to the Tar Heels in the 2026 class, which is Belichick's first full recruiting cycle as coach of the school's football program.

Ruffin had committed to Texas A&M over the likes of Ohio State, Georgia and Michigan, among others, in October. But the talented lineman began to consider other opportunities earlier this year, As ESPN's Eli Lederman notes, Ruffin took an unofficial visit to North Carolina on March 8, during which he attended a North Carolina-Duke basketball game and met Tar Heels legends Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers as Belichick and company put on the full-court press to land his services.

It worked, and Ruffin now joins a 2026 recruiting class for the Tar Heels that ranks 22nd in the country, just behind the defending national champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes, per 247Sports.

Belichick's Tar Heels are currently in spring practice, which runs from March 4 through April 12.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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