UNC commits Zavion Griffin-Haynes, Trashawn Ruffin spark hype as Bill Belichick’s squad secures top-tier athletes

Bill Belichick may lack prior experience in recruiting high school athletes, but his early efforts haven’t let UNC fans down. In the latest ESPN 300 rankings, the Tar Heels have secured commitments from five prospects: Keeyun Red Chapman (No. 68 wide receiver), Carnell Warren (No. 251 receiver), Travis Burgess (No. 254 quarterback) and Trashawn Ruffin (No. 283 defensive tackle).

Following his commitment in March, Ruffin has been actively recruiting fellow 2026 class prospects and hyped more recruiting momentum for UNC ahead in an X post:

"I promise you we ain’t done yet!"

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Meanwhile, another top UNC pledge, Zavion Griffin-Haynes, stirred excitement on X by saying he’s trying to “flip the whole country.” When a fan urged him to flip an Oregon commit, Griffin-Haynes brought up five-star tight end Kendre Harrison.

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That said, convincing Harrison to change his mind won’t be easy. Several Ducks commits backed off their pledges in the last few months, but Harrison hasn't wavered since committing to Oregon on Nov. 30.

The five-star tight end also shut down his recruitment in March, telling On3's Hayes Fawcett:

“What’s understood don’t have to be explained, I’m HOME… SCO DUCKS."

Bill Belichick already holds commitments from two tight ends in the 2026 class: three-star prospects Cooper McCutchan from Ohio and Aidan Woods from Virginia.

Trashawn Ruffin reaffirms his commitment to Bill Belichick's UNC

Trashawn Ruffin is a former Texas A&M commit who flipped to UNC four months ago. He had originally chosen the Aggies back in October 2024 over offers from programs like Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Michigan and Florida State.

Speaking with SI at the start of the month, Ruffin shared that making an early decision to join UNC relieved a lot of pressure and allowed him to focus more on improving his game. He also provided an update on his commitment to Bill Belichick’s program:

"I don't plan any more visits. Locked in, I love my coaches already. I know them all by name, and I feel that they truly do want and need me. Now I am here and ain't going anywhere. Gonna be a long ride. I am good. UNC is where I want to be."

Ruffin is the No. 27 defensive lineman in the 2026 class and the No. 14 recruit in North Carolina, according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

About the author

Maliha is a High School Sports news and listicles writer at Sportskeeda. A post graduate in Management Information Systems, it was her love for writing and sports which led her down the path of sports content creation. An experienced NBA and NFL writer, she covered the two sports extensively at SportsZion and SportsKnot before joining SportsKeeda.

Maliha is a huge Baltimore Ravens fan and is in awe of quarterback Lamar Jackson's dual-threat abilities. She also admires Tom Brady and her all-time favorite coach is 3-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid. She is a big advocate of high school sports and believes that elite athletes reach a top level owing to the discipline, hard work, team dynamics, resilience, adaptability and self-confidence learnt by playing sports in high schools. Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers to victory on his debut against the Minnesota Vikings is one of her fondest NFL memories.

Maliha places a high emphasis on accuracy in her content. She does thorough research, always double checks facts, and only uses information from most relevant and credible sources for her articles. When not writing, she likes to read history and biographical books.

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Edited by John Maxwell