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UNC Football Jumps Four More Spots in Recruiting Rankings

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 6:31 PM ET

Announcing a UNC football commitment is nothing new for Rolesville High School (N.C.) edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Haynes. As a junior back in the fall, the 6-foot-6, 235-pound four-star initially committed to the Tar Heels before reopening his recruitment soon after the program parted ways with Mack Brown.

This go-round, though, after giving UNC the statement recruiting win over fellow finalists Nebraska, Georgia, and Florida State on Thursday, Zavion Griffin-Haynes joins an impressively deep Bill Belichick & Co. class.

pic.twitter.com/8guUZ8qz2P
— Zavion "Z9" Griffin-Haynes (@ZavionGH) May 29, 2025

And at No. 256 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, Griffin-Haynes headlines the early group on board with the new staff in Chapel Hill, as he currently sits 28 notches above the Tar Heels' huge March commit in North Duplin High School (N.C.) four-star defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin.

Plus, Zavion Griffin-Haynes' latest UNC pledge came in unison with his older brother in fellow 2026 defender Zayden Griffin-Haynes, a top-tier three-star linebacker and first-time commit who checks in No. 1,010 overall among rising high school seniors. He chose the Tar Heels over Florida State and NC State.

The 2026 UNC football collection now consists of 17 pledges, with 13 stacking up among the top thousand prospects nationally. Factoring in the Griffin-Haynes additions, Belichick and his Tar Heels rank No. 15 in the cycle, per 247Sports, and No. 4 in the ACC.

This article first appeared on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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