UNC football head coach Bill Belichick and former UNC basketball head coach Roy Williams Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

UNC Football Loses Battle for Dual-Sport Standout Nasir Rankin

Originally posted on North Carolina Tar Heels on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated May 23, 2025 5:39 AM ET

Bill Belichick & Co.'s 2026 UNC football recruiting haul already contains 15 pledges, all three-star or better, and ranks No. 14 in the country. In other words, the Tar Heels have won their fair share of races in the cycle, not to mention on the 2025 trail and in the transfer portal.

But this week, UNC fell short in one high-profile 2026 recruitment, as Morgan Park High School (Ill.) dual-sport sensation Nasir Rankin announced his decision to suit up for home-state suitor Illinois the season after next.

According to a report from 247Sports basketball recruiting analyst Dushawn London, Rankin committed to the Fighting Illini over UNC, Duke, Nebraska, and Southern Cal, and the 5-foot-11 speedster plans to play both football and basketball for Illinois.

pic.twitter.com/B2NuCjazAT
— NASIR RANKIN (@The_Real_Nas1) May 22, 2025

Rankin, checking in at No. 192 overall and No. 11 among athletes on the 247Sports 2026 Football Composite, is a gifted wide receiver yet hopes to continue drawing snaps on both sides of the ball in college.

"Two-sport star who has dominated Chicago Public Schools competition on the gridiron and hardwood since his freshman campaign," 247Sports' Hudson Standish recently wrote about Nasir Rankin, who has racked up over two dozen football offers while also receiving a handful of the basketball variety.

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

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