Bill Belichick entices DL Trashawn Ruffin to flip from Texas A&M to UNC

Field Level Media|published: Tue 18th March, 10:37 2025

Mar 8, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels football coach Bill Belichick before the game at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick continues to make a big impression as North Carolina's head football coach, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Belichick landed his highest-rated recruit since taking over the Tar Heels' program when home-state defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin flipped his 2026 commitment from Texas A&M to North Carolina on Monday.

He attends North Duplin High School in Mount Olive, N.C.

Ruffin, a 6-foot-3, 307-pound player, is listed as a four-star prospect by the 247Sports composite. In a deep class for defensive linemen, he is ranked No. 24 overall at the position.

He had been committed to Texas A&M since October 2024, declining offers from the likes of Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State.

And he made it clear on Tuesday that he won't be entertaining any more offers, writing on X, "Recruitment is shut down."

Ruffin made an unofficial visit to Chapel Hill recently, attending a Duke-North Carolina basketball game and meeting with former Tar Heels greats Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.

North Carolina's 2026 class currently is ranked No. 22 by the 247Sports composite.

--Field Level Media