Bill Belichick and UNC suffer fresh blow as NFL legend's son makes surprising decision on Tar Heels

UNC coach Bill Belichick has been busy trying to build his roster for the future. However, he suffered many setbacks in these attempts, with key players deciding to join other programs.

On Tuesday, this happened again, with the Tar Heels losing out on a son of an NFL legend.

Devin Fitzgerald, a three-star rated wide receiver from the state of Arizona, reportedly cancelled his weekend visit to UNC. This has ended any real chance of him playing for the Tar Heels in the immediate future.

'Four-star WR Devin Fitzgerald from Phoenix Brophy Prep has cancelled his North Carolina visit and is done with trips ahead of his early July decision," Adam Gorney wrote.

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Devin is the son of former NFL player Larry Fitzgerald. The senior Fitzgerald spent 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, earning 11 Pro Bowl honors and is touted as one of the best wide receivers from the 21st century.

His abilities have been passed down to his son, with Devin recording 720 yards and nine touchdowns from 53 receptions last season. This has attracted numerous offers from top schools, including UCLA, Clemson and UNC.

Devin will announce which school he plans to commit to in early July, and it is unlikely to be North Carolina.

Devin Fitzgerald may commit to Notre Dame

Devin Fitzgerald has numerous colleges to choose from, with Notre Dame being one of the favorites to land the wide receiver's commitment. Marcus Freeman's program is coming off a national championship trip and will want to be in the conversation for future games. Picking up Fitzgerald would improve their offensive capabilities.

Devin visited Notre Dame last weekend and said:

“It was a great experience, just getting to know some of the other recruits and spending quality time with the coaches and current players, it was great to learn more about the school and what it would really be like to go there."

By cancelling his visit to North Carolina, combined with making public statements on his enjoyment during his visit to Notre Dame, this only increases the possibility that Devin Fitzgerald will be part of the Fighting Irish team in 2026.

About the author

Ben Tredinnick is a journalist who covers college football and college basketball at Sportskeeda who is currently studying for a masters in Data Science. His degree in Psychology has helped him gain an in-depth understanding of the minds of coaches.

Ben has been involved in sports writing since 2022 and covered the NFL previously. His strengths include providing in-depth profiles of athletes and coaches, with a particular focus on development, and looking at which teams could be in the hunt for today's college stars.

Ben enjoys following college sports more than the NBA or NFL because there is more variation in terms of playstyles. The tournaments are often more competitive than the major leagues, and due to the constant turnover of players, there are rarely any "superteams" in college sports.

He prioritizes research, looks at multiple sources and publications to make sure he gets the full picture of the story before writing. He tries not to write from a one-sided perspective to allow the reader to be able to make their mind up on their own.

A Texas Longhorns fan, as well as a massive New York Giants fan, some of his favorite college players of all time are Arch Manning, Tim Tebow and Reggie Bush.

When he is not working, Ben enjoys watching films (especially Godzilla) and spending time with his cat.

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Edited by Krutik Jain