Bill Belichick has received a lot of blows ever since he took the chair at Chapel Hills. From fans to veterans, nobody seems to be convinced by the NFL GOAT’s whimsical take on coming to college, after spending decades in the pro coaching room. But Belichick, who loves to walk against the flow in his personal and professional life, took it as a challenge. You can deem it as a way to escape another head coaching stint that restricts his controlling demeanor, but the veteran head coach is making some great splash at UNC in his first year.

The former Patriots figure has already salvaged the 2025 recruiting class with some big three-star, and four-star prospects.“While their overall ranking is far from the nation’s best, new coach Bill Belichick did resuscitate it enough to keep it from being this cycle’s most disappointing, if not the worst class,” ESPN’s Craig Haubert put the point up enough for a coach who is new to the college football recruiting ballgame which is vastly different from the NFL scenes. Belichick is now shifting his focus to the 2026 class and is currently eyeing another blue chip, DL, Vodney Cleveland.

UNC recently hosted him for an official visit that seemingly bodes well with the four-star defensive lineman who is blown away by the very presence of coach Belichick. According to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports, a 2026 standout recruit cut his list of schools down to six last month. The Tar Heels are joined by Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Miami and Texas. After his face-to-face meet-up with the NFL GOAT has elevated the UNC game to the core. ”It opened my eyes a lot, Being able to sit down and meet with Coach Belichick was great.” Cleveland said as per the Rival’s latest intel, ”Just seeing how they run things and how they emphasized how important their 2026 class is, it was great.”

Auburn appears to be a brilliant spot after hosting him last month just like Florida, who hosted him twice in early January. The Tar Heels came to the circle a bit late, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play the last master stroke, toppling all the contenders in their own game. After all, a coach with a premium NFL background is an irresistible lure for any novice who is aspiring to get there someday. ”They will develop me and have me ready for the NFL, I am the No.1 defensive lineman on their board and a top priority for their 2026 class,” Cleveland kept the flame of the hope burning for the Tar Heels following his fruitful visit to Chapel Hills.

Cleveland concluded his junior season at Parker High School in Birmingham, AL this fall where he finished 50 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks while helping lead the school to a 6A state title. The year prior, as a sophomore, he collected 19 total tackles and a tackle for loss.

However, if he really makes up his mind about the Tar Heels, it would be a major miss for the two SEC powerhouses.

Alabama and Georgia seem to be heavy on the race until now

Cleveland is the Tide’s first commitment in the class of 2026. The 6’3, 305-pound athlete verbally committed to the Tide and Kalen DeBoer back in October last year. He has a deep bond with coach Freddie Roach and coach DeBoer as the former has been with him for over two years. The Alabama commit said he loves the positive aura that coach Freedie oozes out always and is fond of his coaching style.

”It’s been great to learn from the older guys like (Washington signee) Caleb Smith and (Auburn signee) Jourdin Crawford and even before that Jeremiah Beaman. We train together at Step by step. We all feel like we’re playing for our whole community and the city of Birmingham.” Cleveland said he can’t wait to be a part of the Crimson Tide tradition. “I love Alabama. I don’t plan on changing my commitment.”

But he decommitted from Alabama later in October and has been keeping his options open. He received offers from the Colorado Buffaloes, Washington Huskies, and even the OSU Buckeyes. Cleveland also marked his first official visit to Athens on May 30, and his exchanges with Coach Kirby Smart and others have reportedly gone well as well. But, as far as UNC is concerned, none of them are really in the scene.

Cleveland UNC step-in looks like a matter of time, but it’s too early to entirely cut out the competition. However, the 72-year-old coach’s new recruiting spree has the potential to snatch the best players for building a strong class of ’26, and his rivals better take note!