Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land in the Top Ten for 2026 3✮ IOL

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The run of landing in a top schools list for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels continues.

On Wednesday, the team landed in the top ten for 2026 3✮ IOL Hayden Ainsworth, who revealed his list via social media. They are joined by Alabama, Baylor, Florida State, Liberty, NC State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and UNLV as the teams left in the running for him.

As of right now, the Tar Heels do not have an official visit set with Ainsworth. He does, however, have official visits set with NC State (May 30th), Nebraska (June 6th), Liberty (June 13th) and Ole Miss (June 20th).

Ainsworth, the No. 473 overall prospect and the No. 43 interior offensive lineman, hails from Biloxi High School in Biloxi, MS. He recently reclassified to the 2026 class from the 2027 class, where he was considered a 4✮ prospect by Rivals.

In terms of where things stand with his recruitment, it feels like the in-state team holds the advantage right now. Official visits, though, could be a major factor in how his recruitment ultimately turns out, so the Tar Heels need to get one scheduled as soon as possible.