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ESPN ranks UNC's 2026 football recruiting class in top 25 nationally
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- ESPN ranks UNC's 2026 football recruiting class in top 25 nationally
Barring late transfer portal commitments, the North Carolina Tar Heels have their football roster set for the 2025 season.
There will be plenty new faces on UNC this fall, most of which came from the portal. Among the notable additions for North Carolina are quarterback Gio Lopez (South Alabama), linebacker Mikai Gbayor ( Missouri ) and defensive tackle D'Antre Robinson ( Florida ).
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The Tar Heels also fared well in their 2025 recruiting class, which is highlighted by four-stars Bryce Baker and Jaylen McGill. Baker is an in-state quarterback from East Forsyth High School in Kernersville, while McGill, who originally committed to Rutgers, is a running back from Mountain View Prep in Spartanburg, S.C.
Knowing the importance of its future, particularly with Bill Belichick now coaching , UNC has a strong start to its 2026 recruiting class.
In ESPN CFB national recruiting coordinator Craig Haubert's latest Class of 2026 rankings , North Carolina has the 13th-ranked class. This is no change from the Tar Heels' previous ranking.
"Unsurprisingly given his ethos, Bill Belichick is building North Carolina's 2026 class from the inside out," Haubert said. "In-state, four-star defensive tackle Trashawn Ruffin flipped from Texas A&M – and the 300-pounder has plenty of raw physicality to mold. Ruffin is one of several interior linemen in the class right now – and Belichick went to his former home base in Massachusetts, to bring in 335-pound guard Lenneil Hall. The Tar Heels also pulled a pair of three-star corners out of California , Justin Lewis and Marcellous Ryan. High three-star athlete O'Mari Johnson bolsters that unit, and he also projects to the secondary."
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"Now North Carolina is beginning to layer in skill players such as three-star receiver Darrion Kirksey, who picked the Tar Heels over offers from Ole Miss and Arkansas – and has outstanding short-area quickness," Haubert continued. "Davis can be a versatile back with the power to run between the tackles, but he also possesses good ball skills. As a junior, he rushed for more than 1,300 yards and also hauled in more than 50 receptions.
UNC's top-ranked recruit in its 2026 class is Ruffin, who lands at 269th in ESPN's Top 300 . With strong senior seasons, there could be more Tar Heel commits joining this exclusive list.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC football's 2026 recruiting class ranked 13th nationally, says ESPN
