UNC's Bill Belichick has rare failure early in tenure as Tar Heel coach

Drew Bishop

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UNC's Bill Belichick has rare failure early in tenure as Tar Heel coach image

Bill Belichick has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons as of late.

His personal life and relationship with Jordon Hudson has been under the microscope and now there's more bad news for the North Carolina coach on the recruiting trail.

Braylon Edwards, a three-star cornerback from Duncanville, Texas, committed to SMU over North Carolina.

UNC and Belichick were in the prospect's top five last week, but he chose to stay south rather than join the six-time Super Bowl champion. 

Edwards was a promising player on the recruiting trail and pursued by many top schools.

It's a tough miss for Belichick and company, who have had success in his first offseason at the helm for the Tar Heels. 

According to 247Sports, UNC has the 13th ranked recruiting class for 2026. Two four-stars and 10 three-stars have joined Belichick so far. 

But Edwards was one of the first big players to say no to the legendary coach. It will happen again, even Belichick will miss out on some targets, but the coach still has had plenty of success in his new venture.

MORE: Bill Belichick's kids just told everyone what they really think about girlfriend Jordon Hudson

Drew Bishop

Drew Bishop is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. After graduating from the Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University, he worked in local media in Sandusky, Ohio at BCSN and the Sandusky Register, freelancing as a reporter, broadcast director and play-by-play commentator for high school sports. He then moved on to KRIS 6 News where he serves as a producer in the news department.