4-Star Tar Heels Target Pulls A Shocker

In what cannot be termed anything but a shocker, four-star wide receiver Xavier McDonald spurned an offer from North Carolina and head football coach Bill Belichick and announced his intention to sigh with Sacramento State.

Instead of opting to play for a six-time Super Bowl-winning coach in Belichick, who is running the Tar Heels program like the "33rd NFL team", according to general manager Michael Lombardi, McDonald opted to play for Hornets' first-year head coach Brennan Marion.

The senior from Morton, MS also said no to Ole Miss and LSU. He instantly becomes the highest-ranked recruit in the history of the Hornets program. The Hornets also had a top-ranked transfer portal class in 2025.

“I am committing to Sacramento State,” Xavier McDonald told Rivals.

According to Rivals, one source said he was not surprised by McDonald's decision.

“This isn’t a real surprise. Sacramento State has a great head coach and they have recruited Xavier the hardest.”

The program is starting to make some headway in recruiting for 2026. With the commitment, McDonald vaults the Sacramento State program into a top 75 program nationally, recruiting-wise, according to On3. The Hornets currently hold 16 commitments for the cycle, with four coming from outside the state of California.

McDonald is the 114th-rated prospect and the No. 16 wide receiver in the class of 2026. He is the sixth-best player in the state of Mississippi and the third-rated wide receiver to come out of the state this cycle.

McDonald is the highest-ranked player to commit to the Hornets' program. The previous highest-ranked player was three-star athlete Dreyden Garner, who signed with Sacramento State last cycle.

As a junior, he was limited to seven games due to injury. He still managed to finish with 562 yards receiving and five touchdowns. He accumulated 1,978 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns through his freshman and sophomore years. He was a first-team 4A All-State selection as a sophomore.

Sacramento State had the last visit with McDonald on the weekend of June 20. It was reported Marion, offensive coordinator Kenneth Merchant and their wide receivers coach spent a lot of time with McDonald and showed him how they are going to showcase him in their pass-friendly offense.

The Tar Heels still have a top 25 recruiting class with 30 commitments thus far. They have a full compliment of wide receivers coming in, including four-star Keeyun Chapman from Jackson, Alabama.

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