Bill Belichick, UNC flip four-star recruit from Texas A&M

Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels put on a full-court press for four-star defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin, and it paid off in a big way.

Ruffin had been committed to Texas A&M since October 2024, but he's an in-state recruit for North Carolina and the Tar Heels made flipping him a priority. The four-star from Mount Olive, North Carolina was on campus early in March for a recruiting weekend and what he experienced in Chapel Hill apparently won him over.

“Well, first of all, UNC has the greatest coach of all time as far as I am concerned,” Ruffin told Steve Wiltfong of On3 regarding his decision to flip. “And an all-star staff. I feel that they can lead me in the right way in order to be developed as I should be. And the atmosphere was great when we were there.”

While in Chapel Hill, Ruffin took in the North Carolina-Duke basketball game.

“I haven’t ever felt energy like this a day in my life,” Ruffin had said after that visit “Meeting Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor also Bill Belichick made my weekend amazing and special.”

The Tar Heels made Ruffin a priority, and the end result was a massive recruiting win for UNC.

Ruffin is ranked as the No. 24 defensive lineman in the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. He's now UNC's top-ranked recruit.