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Eli Lederman
Four-star defensive tackle Trashawn Ruffin, No. 238 in the ESPN Junior 300, flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to North Carolina on Monday, marking the Tar Heels’ highest-rated new pledge since coach Bill Belichick took over the program in December.
Ruffin, the 12th-ranked prospect from the state of North Carolina in the 2026 cycle, announced his decision via social media. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound defender had been committed to Texas A&M since October 2024 and was the fourth-ranked member of the Aggies’ latest class prior to his flip. Ruffin is now the No. 1 prospect pledged to the Tar Heels’ incoming class in 2026, Belichick’s first full recruiting cycle in college football.
Ruffin, ESPN’s No. 17 defensive tackle prospect, initially committed to Texas A&M last fall over offers from schools including Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Michigan and Florida State. Yet Belichick and his staff — which has placed an emphasis on in-state recruiting since the six-time Super Bowl champion head coach arrived at North Carolina — made Ruffin a priority target in 2025.
The flip comes weeks after Ruffin took an unofficial visit with the Tar Heels, during which he attended a North Carolina-Duke basketball game and met former North Carolina All-American defenders Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers.
Ruffin, who plays at North Duplin High School in Mt. Olive, North Carolina, is the ninth prospect committed to the Tar Heels’ 2026 class. He joins Charlotte, North Carolina, quarterback Zaid Lott as the second in-state prospect pledged to the program in the cycle.
Belichick and the Tar Heels signed the nation’s 45th-ranked recruiting class at the close of the 2025 cycle last month. That group of high school signees included four-star quarterback Bryce Baker (No. 200 in the ESPN 300), who initially committed to North Carolina coach Mack Brown before affirming his pledge to the program shortly after Belichick’s hiring.
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