"Tennessee in shambles": UNC fans thrilled over Bill Belichick's massive steal by flipping four-star OT from Josh Heupel's program

It has been a rough past couple of days for UNC fans. They came into the season with high hopes that Bill Belichick would take the program to new heights and make it a national championship contender. However, the Tar Heels were humbled by TCU on Monday, adding more pressure on Belichick and the team to improve.

Their fans received some good news on Thursday when it was announced that four-star offensive tackle prospect JB Shabazz flipped his commitment from the Tennessee Volunteers to UNC.

Fans reacted to the news on X.

Some mentioned that Shabazz's decision only adds to the recruitment troubles Tennessee is having.

"tennessee in shambles," one fan wrote.

"What is happening in Gatlinburg," another fan wrote.

Others were surprised, especially following the Tar Heels' loss on Monday.

"He saw UNC get their ass wiped and cleaned and he said, “Yeah, I want to go play for the old guy, ” a fan commented.

"He watched that game Monday and still choose UNC," another fan tweeted.

"Bro saw them get destroyed by TCU and said “OH YEAH GIVE ME SOME OF THAT,” another fan said.

"Can he play Saturday? Asking for a friend," a fan said.

JB Shabazz visited UNC in March

JB Shabazz, a four-star prospect from North Carolina, is the No. 46 offensive tackle in the 2026 class according to 247Sports.

Shabazz originally committed to Tennessee and did not consider UNC. However, he visited Chapel Hill in March and talked highly about Tar Heels coach Bill Belichick.

“I had an awesome time at the game and with the coaches," Shabazz said, via On3.

"I didn’t get the chance to talk to Julius Peppers but I got the opportunity to talk to Lawrence Taylor and it was great talking to him for a bit. What excites me is being with Coach Belichick and around his guys because I feel like he’s gonna change the program completely and I can’t wait for that.”

Shabazz will join a strong UNC 2026 recruitment class, ranked No. 18 in the nation, according to On3.

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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 Victor Ramon Galvez