North Carolina, Bill Belichick Predicted to Flip Highly Touted Recruit From SEC Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It’s a new era for the North Carolina Tar Heels as the legendary Bill Belichick is set to enter his first season as the program’s head coach in 2025, with hopes of turning things around after going just 6-7 last year.
However, Belichick is focused well into the future, as he’s put a tremendous amount of effort into the 2026 recruiting class, already landing a total of 33 recruits with a group ranking No. 4 in the ACC and No. 20 in the nation.
It doesn’t appear that the Tar Heels are ready to slow down either, and that becomes apparent from their interest in tight end Carson Sneed, who is currently committed to the Tennessee Volunteers.
North Carolina Predicted to Orchestrate a Flip
Tennessee may soon find itself looking for a replacement, because on Thursday, Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for the tight end to change his mind and land with North Carolina.
Belichick’s reputation would be a big factor, as Sneed told Wiltfong, “It feels like everyone there either coached or played in the NFL, and to know what coach Belichick did with guys like Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) and Aaron Hernandez excites me because I know he knows how to use me.”
That’s obviously some high praise and just shows the kind of advantage the Tar Heels have with an eight-time Super Bowl champion manning the program.
How Does Sneed Stack Up as a Recruit?
This wouldn’t just be some minor outcome either, as Rivals Industry Rankings place Sneed as a four-star recruit, the No. 17 tight end, the No. 12 player in Tennessee and the No. 371 player in the nation.
Last year, for Donelson Christian Academy, he had his best season at the varsity level as a pass catcher, appearing in 13 games, racking up 33 receptions, 409 yards and six touchdowns.
He may be listed as a tight end, but Sneed showed some versatility on the defensive side of the ball with 44 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception and one pass deflection.
Belichick’s Other Options at Tight End Are Light
This late into the offseason, available options at the position are extremely light, as the only tight ends not committed that sit within the top-50 of Rivals Industry Rankings are three-star Caden Ramsey (No. 20) and three-star Khalid Worthy (No. 31).
That’s why if Belichick were looking to upgrade at the position, it would likely need to come in the form of a flip, which also puts more pressure on Tennessee to hold on.
Related: Ohio State Holding on as SEC Powerhouse Looks to Flip Highly Touted Recruit
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.