UNC football lost top local recruit amid coaching change. Can Bill Belichick lure him back?

Few big-name head coach hires have been met with the skepticism North Carolina football encountered when announcing Bill Belichick’ hiring in December. It was understandably difficult to imagine the laconic coach patiently visiting high schools and family living rooms.

After all, the six-time Super Bowl champion coach of the New England Patriots spent 24 years in the cushy NFL, presenting a stoic-to-gruff personality through TV and radio interviews. He patronized the media. He doesn’t suffer fools.

How was a 72-year-old man going to transition from talking with Tom Brady, to chit-chatting with a teenager he met for the first time?

Well, there was Belichick on the Rolesville High School campus shortly after 7 a.m. on Jan. 6, the first day college coaches could visit high school athletes. He arranged the visit through Rolesville head coach Ranier Rackley to gain an introduction to the Rams’ 4-star prospect, defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes.

“We start school at 7:20, and he was here at 7:13,” Rackley said. “He could have been at any high school in America, and he was at our school the first day. He showed he was eager to get out and meet with high school kids and coaches.”

Griffin-Haynes isn’t the only 4-star prospect North Carolina is targeting, but he stands out among its Class of 2026 prospects as a former Tar Heels commit. He decommitted after Mack Brown was let go Nov. 26. Now, Griffin-Haynes’ list of offers spans schools from the very top of the ACC, SEC and Big Ten on down.

“It was a great he came out to see me,” Griffin-Haynes said. “He talked to me about what they’re doing at North Carolina and that I could have a big impact. We talked about how I can improve my pass rush to get up the field and around the corner faster. It felt special that he had studied my game that closely knowing how busy he has been.”

Later in the day, a photo appeared on the social media platform X with the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Griffin-Haynes towering over the smiling Belichick.

Forget the chit-chat demands — Rackley learned Belichick can stick to X’s and O’s. North Carolina also has offered Zavion’s brother Jayden Griffin-Haynes, 6-3, 200-pounder senior linebacker ranked a 3-star.

“I was surprised how much he knew about our guys,” Rackley said. “He had watched our state championship game. He was breaking down our other players for me. He really took time to watch my guys. I had never had a coach break down players like that for me. He also talked to me about play-calling. It was a humbling experience to spend time with him.”

Last fall, Griffin-Haynes committed on Sept. 8, three games into the high school season. North Carolina’s disappointing season soon raised speculation on his future, but Griffin-Haynes said in an Oct. 17 News & Observer story he remained committed to the Tar Heels as long as Brown was the coach.

Sure enough, after North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham announced that Brown wasn’t returning in 2025, Griffin-Haynes decommitted. The N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs were underway by then, and in the last two rounds Griffin-Haynes wore Ohio State and George decals on the back of his helmet — a new trend among elite high school recruits.

He says his respect for Brown led to an early commitment, but this time he is closely studying his options. On Feb. 28 he posted on X his plans to announce a list of “Top 12 soon.” He will narrow his list until he makes his announcement on Rolesville’s campus on Aug. 26, his mother’s birthday.

The recruiting website On3.com lists North Carolina as the favorite on its prediction meter at 68.3%. On3 predictions for Jayden are N.C. State (48.6%), Florida (42.5%) and UNC (3.3%).

Zavion, who has an interest in studying business and starting a clothing company, said he and his brother have traveled together on unofficial campus visits, but they plan to make their official visits individually.

“I’m seeing what every school has to offer me and what they want from me,” Zavion said. “I feel I rushed it the first time. I’m looking much more at the program and the school this time.”