Bill Belichick picked up another notable recruiting win in his first offseason leading the North Carolina football program, this time engineering a flip from an SEC rival.
Four-star defensive tackle Trashawn Ruffin flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to the North Carolina Tar Heels, becoming the highest-rated addition since Belichick took over the football program back in December.
Ruffin is the first four-star player that Belichick has himself recruited and the second associated with the program under his short tenure, the latter being four-star quarterback Bryce Baker, who pledged before Belichick’s arrival, but stayed with the school after the coach’s hiring.
The lineman had originally committed to Texas A&M over other schools like Ohio State, Michigan, Texas, and Georgia, pledging to the Aggies in October of 2024, but Belichick and his staff made Ruffin a priority recruiting target.
Ruffin was the fourth-highest rated member of the A&M recruiting class in 2026 prior to his flip, and now stands as the No. 1 player in North Carolina’s 2026 haul.
He marks the ninth commitment Belichick and the Tar Heels have acquired in the 2026 football recruiting cycle, joining Charlotte quarterback Zaid Lott as UNC’s second in-state prospect.
Ruffin is considered the No. 17 defensive lineman in the country and the No. 10 overall prospect from the state of North Carolina, according to an average of the national recruiting services.
247Sports rates Ruffin as the No. 25 defensive lineman and Rivals ranks him as the No. 13 player in the country at the position.
Belichick and North Carolina signed the No. 50 overall football recruiting class in 2025, according to an average of the four national recruiting services.
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