Bill Belichick scored a major recruiting win this week when four-star safety Jakob Weatherspoon flipped his commitment from Ohio State to North Carolina.
Weatherspoon is the fourth blue-chipper to join the Tar Heels this month and is the most recent addition to UNC’s top-20 class, which also features four-star linebacker Calvin Thomas and four-star wide receiver Carnell Warren.
A 5-foot-10, 175-pound prospect from Avon High School, Weatherspoon is ranked No. 14 at his position and No. 9 in Ohio by the 247Sports composite in the 2026 recruiting class. He notified Rivals about his decision on July 16. Weatherspoon is the No. 177 overall prospect and No. 17 safety in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, and is now the second highest-ranked commit in the UNC class, behind four-star wideout Keeyun Chapman.
Weatherspoon previously committed to Ohio State on January 2, one day after the Buckeyes defeated Oregon in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal en route to winning the program’s ninth national championship title. Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan were among the other programs in contention for Weatherspoon before his January pledge to Ohio State, according to On3. North Carolina came in with an offer at the end of February, per On3’s report.
Weatherspoon took an official visit to Chapel Hill the weekend of June 6 but also had an official visit with the Buckeyes just before the college football recruiting dead period began at the end of June, according to Yahoo Sports. Ohio State had recruited Weatherspoon as a cornerback.
Weatherspoon is a multi-sport athlete, having competed in track and field as a freshman and sophomore in high school. He helped Avon to a 14-1 record and an Ohio Division II state semifinal appearance as a sophomore in 2023, followed by being the catalyst for Avon’s perfect 16-0 record and state championship title as a junior in 2024.
Can UNC continue to flip recruits and climb in the recruiting class rankings? Only time will tell what Belichick’s ceiling is at the collegiate level in his first year with UNC.
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