UNC football lands commitment from former Tennessee recruit

Bill Belichick and UNC have landed a big time recruit

Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels are preparing for their Week 2 game at Charlotte as the program needs a big win. With the Tar Heels trying to regroup and get to 1-1, they landed a big-time recruit as well.

On Thursday, Belichick was able to flip a Tennessee commit as they landed a commitment from offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz. The Kernersville, North Carolina native plays at East Forsyth and was the starting left tackle to protect Bryce Baker who is a freshman at UNC now.

Shabazz committed to Tennessee in mid-July and had interest from several programs, including Penn State, South Carolina, and Ohio State. He had a visit to UNC, but cancelled it before committing to the Volunteers.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman is a four-star recruit that is ranked No. 247 overall, the No. 22 offensive tackle and No. 13 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

With the commitment, North Carolina has 37 players committed in the 2026 class, which now ranks No. 17 nationally with still some time left. There are even rumblings that they are on the verge of flipping another big recruit as well.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.