How Bill Belichick fared with first recruiting class at UNC
Bill Belichick made up for lost time.
The new North Carolina head coach earned ESPN’s “biggest riser” honors for his first recruiting class, which includes 17 prep recruits and two transfers.
The Tar Heels’ class ranked 45th and included one top-300 recruit, per ESPN, and is 10th-best among ACC schools.
“We are excited about integrating the 17 incoming freshmen as well as two transfers to our current team as we being the process of building our 2025 roster,” North Carolina general manager Michael Lombardi said in a statement in the school’s article on the recruiting class.
Belichick had to work fast to build a class for his first National Signing Day and ESPN’s various articles noted that he kept the program from finishing near the bottom of the rankings after replacing Mack Brown.
His biggest recruiting win came by convincing the Tar Heels’ top prospect, East Forsyth High School (N.C.) quarterback Bryce Baker to honor his commitment.
Baker ranks 200th on ESPN’s list.
Several other ACC schools like Duke, Louisville and Virginia Tech previously offered Baker a scholarship.
“During the coaching change, he gained a lot of interest but stayed with this class and gives the Heels a passer that is a bit raw but who possesses good natural arm strength and shows good touch on his deep ball,” ESPN wrote in its analysis of the Tar Heels’ class.
The best defensive player in North Carolina’s class is four-star defensive end Austin Alexander from Cooper High School (Ky.), who had offers from at least one SEC school.
He’s described by ESPN as “a prospect who has consistently tested well over the previous two springs and brings a nice blend of size, power and quickness.”
Belichick received praise for his efforts on that side of the ball.
“Defensive line is a strength of this class,” ESPN wrote.
Belichick will make his North Carolina debut Sept. 1 when the Tar Heels host TCU at 7:30 p.m. ET.
