Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land Griffin-Haynes Brothers Following Weekend OV

The Tar Heels have just made their biggest splash in-state in the 2026 class.

As part of a commitment ceremony at Rolesville High School, 2026 4✮ EDGE Zavion Griffin-Haynes and 2026 3✮ LB Jayden Griffin-Haynes announced their commitment to UNC following official visits to campus over the weekend. Zavion committed to the Tar Heels over Georgia, Nebraska and Florida State while Jayden did so over NC State and Florida State.

Zavion, the No. 256 overall prospect and No. 24 EDGE according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, is coming off of his junior season where he finished with 48 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 0.0 sacks, 20 quarterback hurries and one pass defensed on his way to earning all-conference honors for a Rolesville team that fell in the 4A state title game to Grimsley. In 2023, he was one of the state's best edge defenders, racking up 50 total tackles, 27.0 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 20 QB hurries and six pass breakups.

At 6’6, 230 lbs., the measurables are there for Zavion to play immediately at the college level. His ability in run defense is also incredibly encouraging, especially with how well he is able to set the edge and that ferociousness that he has once he gets to ball carriers. The motor should not be questioned at all, as his film contains multiple examples of him running down ball carriers from the opposite side of the field or even down the field. His speed is very good off the edge and when combined with the solid release that he has off the line of scrimmage, it puts him in a position to make plays pretty consistently in the backfield. The sack numbers are concerning on the surface, but when you watch the tape, you see a player who is focused on making the smart play as opposed to the aggressive play with how he will drop into coverage on backs and get his hands up to knock down balls at the line of scrimmage. The area where he will need to improve in his game is the level of physicality that he plays with because he will need it to succeed in college. If he can develop that edge that you need to play along that defensive front at this level, the sky is the limit for what he can become.

Meanwhile, Jayden, the No. 1011 overall prospect in the class, is coming off a junior season where he had 107 total tackles, 6.0 sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, an interception, five pass breakups and two forced fumbles. The year prior, as a sophomore, he spent his time on the offensive side of the ball, catching 16 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season.

For Jayden, at 6’3, 210 lbs, he will have to add more weight to his frame if he is going to stick at linebacker, which is a spot that he showed some nice flashes in as a junior. He is a very physical downhill run defender, something you would not expect to see on the tape of a former wide receiver-turned-linebacker, but he makes ball carriers pay once he get to them. Like his brother, the motor is not in question and that high-energy play style is what allows him to find his way into the backfield to make plays, especially when he is being used as a blitzer. He is really solid in the A and B gaps, but doesn’t show on tape the ability to cover sideline-to-sideline. One other area that he will have to show the staff more of will be his coverage ability, something we saw sparingly in his junior film. He looks a little stiff in the pass coverage reps that he did put on tape, but it makes sense to expect that he can make plays in this area of the game being a former receiver. It could take some time, but Jayden is a guy who could factor into the rotation at linebacker after a couple of seasons in the system.

With the commitments, the Tar Heels’ 2026 class is already up to 17 commitments. The class now ranks 15th overall and 4th in the ACC.

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