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North Carolina has hired Bill Belichick as its next head coach and while many top prospects will be intrigued to play for the eight-time Super Bowl champion, six as a head coach, he will still have to pick up the phone and make some recruiting calls. Here should be the first five:
MORE GORNEY: Prospects will flock to North Carolina to play for Bill Belichick
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The pitch to Arnold should be simple: You’re a five-star caliber quarterback who got some rotten treatment at Oklahoma so instead of going to play for Jeff Lebby or Hugh Freeze, come play for the guy who helped Tom Brady become the greatest quarterback of all time. Maybe Brady could have done everything he accomplished without Belichick but it’s a pitch any quarterback would want to hear. Arnold has tons of talent and is a special player but he needs a dramatic reset to achieve his full potential. Chapel Hill could be it.
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Everything Belichick should say to Arnold is what he should pitch to Baker as well including this: The Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth four-star has always wanted to play for the Tar Heels and has been committed there since June 2023. The other easy thing Belichick can say to Baker is that Penn State is the biggest threat to flip him from North Carolina but out of 30 former Nittany Lions currently on NFL rosters, there are no quarterbacks. Belichick’s quarterback bona fides are unparalleled so this should not be difficult to convince Baker about this hire.
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The 2026 five-star quarterback committed to Tennessee in August and Vols coach Josh Heupel has done well recruiting QBs to Knoxville including five-star Nico Iamaleava, the current starter, and maybe Belichick has never coached a QB quite like Brandon but it would still be a compelling case to flip to North Carolina. The Greensboro (N.C.) Grimsley five-star lives about an hour from Chapel Hill, he could be the future face of the in-state school and he could play for the greatest football coach of all time at least early in his career as Belichick is on a three-year contract.
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Oregon is the top-ranked team in the country and the Ducks have done a phenomenal job developing tight ends under coach Dan Lanning, one of the hottest names in the sport, so Harrison’s commitment there could be strong. But Belichick has some convincing arguments to flip the 2026 No. 1 tight end to North Carolina. He’s coached Rob Gronkowski. He’s coached Aaron Hernandez. And Harrison has all the physical tools to be a special tight end in the college and the NFL. And the Reidsville, N.C., standout lives just over an hour away from Chapel Hill while Eugene, Ore., is 2,821 miles away from home.
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The former five-star receiver/tight end has entered the transfer portal after two decent but underwhelming seasons at USC and is now looking for a fresh start as it isn’t yet clear which programs he’s seriously considering. Robinson is a special talent who has receiver qualities at 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds but never seemed to be the focal point in the Trojans’ offense. Belichick has a great track record with tight ends of all shapes and sizes including Hernandez, who split out a ton in high school, college and the NFL. Plus, North Carolina has a solid baseball program that could intrigue Robinson as well since he fancies himself as a two-sport star.
