North Carolina soccer ended its quiet recruiting state in an enormous means Monday. New Tar Heels head coach Invoice Belichick flipped a Texas A&M four-star commit.
Belichick secured high-profile defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin, with Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirming the transfer. The 2026 prospect Ruffin was verbally dedicated to the Aggies since Oct. 2024.
The Tar Heels stayed in contact with Ruffin, although. Belichick and his workers even hosted him throughout the weekend of March 8, per Don Callahan of 247Sports. Ruffin obtained an opportunity to absorb a Tar Heels basketball recreation towards Duke as a part of his journey.
North Carolina now lands the state’s tenth ranked prospect for the 2026 class by On3. Plus ends weeks of silence on the recruiting path. Inside offensive lineman Anthony Corridor from Brookline, Mass., represented the final UNC verbal commit. Corridor selected UNC on Feb. 21.
How Invoice Belichick and North Carolina flipped Texas A&M commit
Ruffin tells Callahan that he felt the love from Belichick and his workers. Serving to persuade his pivot to Chapel Hill.
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“I really like the workers, love the faculty, love the ambiance of it. And, I simply really feel if I am going there, I’ll get developed,” Ruffin shared.
Belichick wasn’t the one UNC coach courting Ruffin. He cites Michael Lombardi and Lance Thompson as two Tar Heels workers members who ran level on his recruitment.
“They only preserve telling me time and again, they are going to take deal with us. They’ll develop me excellent. They’ve a complete NFL workers, which they do. They’ve the most effective head coach within the recreation,” Ruffin shared.
Ruffin will quickly play for a head coach who’s thrived with large inside defenders of his stature. Belichick received Tremendous Bowls turning to Ted Washington and Vince Wilfork as large, highly effective nostril tackles. Ruffin’s dimension makes him superb to change into Belichick’s future nostril sort out. He joins quarterback Zaid Lott as the newest in-state verbal pledge for Belichick and North Carolina.
North Carolina holds 9 complete commits for the 2026 class. Belichick did land 2027 California expertise Skylar Robinson on Feb. 2. However Ruffin turns into the highest-rated Tar Heels commit.