UNC Football lands a big four-star recruit for 2026 class

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program is off to a 2-0 start after beating Charlotte this weekend in Chapel Hill. But that’s not the only thing they are celebrating this weekend.

On Sunday, North Carolina added a second player to its 2026 recruiting class when four-star edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Hayes pledged his verbal commitment to the program. The Rolesville, North Carolina native is one of the top players in the state and had drawn a lot of interest in his recruitment.

But as time went on, it was a two program battle between UNC and Ohio State . In the end, the Tar Heels and the chance to stay in state won over a top Big Ten program.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Griffin-Hayes is ranked No. 114 nationally, the No. 11 edge rusher and No. 9 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports rankings .

With this commitment, UNC is off to a good start in 2026, adding him to the class that includes quarterback Zaid Lott. They still have a long ways to go in the 2026 class with a lot of targets left to pursue.

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