North Carolina Misses On Major Defensive Lineman Target

The North Carolina Tar Heels have built a great recruiting class of 2026 so far, with many of their top targets already committing. They currently hold 27 commitments in the 2026 class, which is a very high amount considering it just turned July 1st.

Plenty of thanks are to be given to Bill Belichick, who is about to enter his first year as the head football coach for the Tar Heels. Belichick is one of the best coaches in NFL history, as he has won many Super Bowl championships in his time with the New England Patriots. This has caused many players to jump into the class.

While they have landed many of their top targets on the board, they have also missed out on some of their top remaining targets. This includes a player who would decide between two schools on Tuesday and ultimately commit to the other program that was recruiting him.

Dereon Albert is a 2026 defensive lineman prospect from the state of Mississippi. He is one of the better prospects in the state and even in the country, as he is rated as a four-star at this time. He ranks as high as inside the top-200 nationally and also ranks inside the top-10 in the state of Mississippi. He plays on one of the better programs in Mississippi, as he plays for Jackson Academy in Jackson, Mississippi.

The Jackson Academy High School star is currently teammates with some of the best players in the nation, such as top-100 linebacker TJ White, and fellow North Carolina Tar Heels target O'Mari Johnson.

Albert made his decision on July 1st as he would announce his commitment between the Tennessee Volunteers and the North Carolina Tar Heels. His decision was made, and the talented defensive lineman will be on his way to Knoxville, Tennessee, after announcing his commitment to the Tennessee Volunteers. Tennessee made him a priority similar to North Carolina, and hit a home run on his official visit, which was much more recent than the North Carolina visit. This could be a huge factor as they are also trying to land his teammate, White, with hopes of having a big day.

Albert was a huge miss for the Tar Heels, but luckily, they have four commitments up front. This includes Trashawn Ruffin, who is one of the better commits in the class.

The Tar Heels will go back to the drawing boards, with hopes of making a big splash with Johnson and company.

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