New UNC coach Bill Belichick hits recruiting trail

New North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick — along with his son and Tar Heels defensive coordinator Steve Belichick — has started visiting potential college recruits.

The former New England Patriots and six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is looking to fill out his roster and coaching staff as he adjusts to the college football schedule.

He’s been meeting with potential transfer players, but this week is when college coaches can officially conduct recruit visits with high school student-athletes.

A recent report from the Tar Heel Tribune detailed Belichick’s roster moves and what it’s been like adjusting to the role. Below is an excerpt from the Tar Heel Tribune article.

According to multiple reports, Belichick secured his 12th transfer-portal commitment on Monday when East Carolina defensive back Gavin Gibson, who will be a senior next season, joined a fellow former Pirates player, defensive end C.J. Mims, in committing to Carolina.

Bill and Steve Belichick joined the “The Pat McAfee Show” while riding in a car on the day that UNC’s head coach joined X (formerly Twitter) with the handle @Belichick_B.

“It’s really fun,” Belichick said during his weekly appearance on the ESPN show about going on X. “It really is. It’s great. It’s great to connect with these kids. They’re so enthusiastic. They see their future ahead of them, both in college football and maybe beyond that. So it’s exciting to talk to them. We’re talking to some really good players. And you know, these guys have a chance to have a long career. So I just want to be a part of it with them.”

It was the first day he was allowed under NCAA rules to go out recruiting, and he was in a coat and tie and ready to lure top high school prospects to Chapel Hill. Belichick said they visited a couple of high schools Monday morning and were scheduled to visit a couple more in the afternoon. Among the stops was Jordan High School in Durham to see four-star Class of 2026 defensive tackle/offensive guard Noah Clark and Rolesville High School to visit four-star Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a Class of 2026 star who is the No. 17-ranked Edge rusher in the country, No. 178 overall prospect in the country and No. 10 overall prospect in the state. He also visited South Garner High School.

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Steve Belichick joined his dad after taking a red-eye flight a couple of days earlier from Washington, where he had been the Huskies’ defensive coordinator.

To read the full story from the Tar Heel Tribune, click here.