Recruiting season can get super competitive, right? Well, the UNC Tar Heels are making some pretty cool moves for their 2026 haul. They just landed a solid offensive tackle named Zion Smith from DeMatha Catholic High School in Maryland.
Zion is a big guy—like, 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds big. He’s been making waves in the football community, snagging all-conference first team honors during his junior year. And guess what? He chose the Tar Heels over a bunch of other schools, like Syracuse, Pitt, and Virginia Tech.
Seriously, that’s a big deal! He took to social media to announce his commitment to Coach Bill Belichick (yup, you heard that right—Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots fame has a thing for college coaching now) and the Heels, and it was so exciting to see.
Now, this also marks Zion as the first offensive lineman to jump on board for UNC’s 2026 class. But he’s not flying solo! He’s joining a couple of other promising recruits: Crew Davis, a three-star running back from Iona Preparatory School in New York, and Zaid Lott, a three-star quarterback from Providence Day School in North Carolina. It’s like the Tar Heels are building a mini-dream team.
With these additions, UNC’s 2026 recruiting class is sitting pretty at No. 33 in the country and No. 7 in the ACC according to On3. Not too shabby, right? Let’s see how this all plays out, but honestly, things are looking bright for the Tar Heels’ future! Can’t wait to see these guys hit the field!