Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land Commitment from 2026 3✮ LB

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For a second straight day, the Tar Heels have added a commitment to their 2026 class, this time in the form of one of their top linebacker prospects.

As he revealed via social media, 2026 3✮ S Julian Burns has committed to UNC over Arkansas and Tennessee, amongst others. His commitment comes a couple of weeks after he was on campus for his official visit, which took place the weekend of May 30th.

Burns, the No. 843 overall prospect and No. 68 linebacker in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, hails from Neville High School in Monroe, LA. This past season, as a junior, he finished with 81 total tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries and two interceptions in eleven games on his way to earning District 2-5A honors.

Burns is a player who might be ranked but feels severely underrated because of what he has put on film. The most notable thing about his game is just how physical he is. He might very well be the hardest-hitting safety in this class as he constantly makes opposing players pay in the middle of the field. While he loves the big hit, he is also a strong tackler who makes sure to wrap up on plays where he isn’t in position to make the play. There should be no questions about his motor, as he makes plays all over the field. His closing speed is promising and the hope is that it can translate over to his coverage skills if he is going to stick at safety at the next level. His ability to play safety, linebacker and even nickelback makes him extremely valuable and will make it easier for him to see playing early. This is a prospect with a ton of upside and versatility that should be able to at least establish a special teams role pretty early on in Chapel Hill.

With his announcement, the Tar Heels’ recruiting class has its first safety commitment and its eighteenth overall. The commitment jumps their class to No. 19 in the overall ranking and No. 5 in the ACC rankings.