
© Bob Donnan-Imagn Photos
The North Carolina soccer crew landed an enormous fish (actually!) on the recruiting path this week. In-state defensive sort out Trashawn Ruffin flipped his dedication to affix Invoice Belichick after a latest go to to campus.
The Tar Heels pulled out all of the stops on that journey, and it paid instant dividends. Simply days after seeing Chapel Hill, Ruffin pulled the set off.
The lineman is a four-star prospect that ideas the scales at 340 kilos. He’d obtained curiosity from applications all around the nation, and had beforehand pledged to play for Texas A&M.
Ruffin made his go to in early March. He was in a position to absorb a North Carolina-Duke basketball sport alongside former UNC stars Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor.
North Duplain (NC) On300 DL Trashawn Ruffin visited North Carolina right this moment and rubbed elbows with three soccer giants in Invoice Belichick, Lawrence Taylor and Julius Peppers: pic.twitter.com/C0CuI8TZJ9
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) March 9, 2025
Trashawn Ruffin backed off his Texas A&M pledge after 5 months.
He’d pledged to play for Mike Elko in October of 2024. Regardless of that dedication, his recruitment remained open.
Ruffin had official visits scheduled for LSU, UNC, South Carolina, and A&M this summer season. After flipping to the Tar Heels, these journeys would possibly now be off the books.
Recruitment is shut down.
— Trashawn Ruffin (@TrashawnRuffin) March 18, 2025
Ruffin’s flip is a big win for Invoice Belichick. The defensive lineman is now the headliner in his 2026 recruiting class. The primary-year coach went toe-to-toe with the SEC and gained.
Previous to Ruffin’s pledge, Belichick had made a dwelling on stockpiling lacrosse gamers to affix his roster. Now, he’s turned the main target in the direction of the massive uglies.
Invoice Belichick’s recruiting prowess was on full show on this newest flip. It answered a query many had when he took the North Carolina job.
He’s labored on his capacity to attach with the youthful technology, and it’s paying off within the type of commitments. He made certain to make use of each useful resource obtainable in Trashawn Ruffin’s recruitment, together with a pair of former UNC stars. He’ll now look to construct on the momentum and proceed elevating his ’26 cycle.