Heel Tough Blog: Who Do We Feel Best About- May 30th
- Anthony Pagnotta
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
The Tar Heels just hosted a massive group of 2026 targets over the weekend for official visits and have already seen two commitments as a result. On Sunday afternoon, shortly following the conclusion of the visits, 2026 3✮ IOL Mason Wilhelm announced his commitment to the team and on Monday, 2026 UR OT Eli Rickell followed suit. Here is a look at the rest of the guys that were on campus this week and our rankings of whom we feel best about from a Tar Heel perspective following their official trips to Chapel Hill.
4✮ EDGE Zavion Griffin-Haynes- Rolesville (Rolesville, NC)
After being out of the hunt for him a week and a half ago, it seems like the Tar Heels are firmly back in the hunt for Griffin-Haynes. According to Don Callahan of Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have actually gone from being eliminated to being in the driver’s seat for him as we enter the month of June. With him and his brother setting their decision date for this Friday, it feels like the Tar Heels may actually be landing him for a second time in this cycle.
3✮ LB Jayden Griffin-Haynes- Rolesville (Rolesville, NC)
Like his brother, Griffin-Haynes seemed to enjoy his visit to Chapel Hill and holds the Tar Heels in high regard. Exiting the visit, it feels like Bill Belichick and company are in the driver’s seat, especially if his brother is now leaning towards the team, as well. His upcoming decision on Friday should be seen as more proof of that.
3✮ CB Keegan Chapman- Jackson (Jackson, AL)
Chapman took an official visit to Chapel Hill over the weekend without holding an offer, but that changed on Saturday. This being his first P4 offer, the Tar Heels appear to be in control here if he’s going to be a take.
3✮ WR Zion Crumpton- Carver (Montgomery, AL)
Crumpton was one of the guys who seemed to enjoy his trip to Chapel Hill a lot and with no other official visits scheduled, the Tar Heels seem to be the team the clear leader right now. After receiving an offer from the staff over the weekend, it’s hard not to think that the Tar Heels land his commitment if things don’t change with his official visit schedule.
3✮ LB Julian Burns- Neville (Monroe, LA)
Burns is another prospect that the Tar Heels have to feel good about after this weekend. As of right now, the Tar Heels are the only team to have an official visit scheduled with him, so it feels like they are in control of this recruitment until that changes.
4✮ LB Adam Balogoun-Ali- Cardinal Newman (West Palm Beach, FL)
Balogoun-Ali has been raving about the visit since it happened and it feels like the Tar Heels have positioned themselves well. He still has a full slate of visits on the horizon, but the staff has done a good job to establish themselves as a leader in the race for him.
4✮ S Jamarrion Gordon- Jackson (Jackson, AL)
Gordon was one of the quieter visitors that was campus this weekend in terms of social media interaction, but the Tar Heels seemed to steady their position as a serious contender in the race for him. The question moving forward is was it enough to outshine what his other top schools show him.
UR OT Tripp Skewes- Kent Denver School (Englewood, CO)
Skewes entered the weekend with a wide open recruitment and the race feels like it exits in a similar spot. The Tar Heels definitely have made some headway here and may have even established themselves as the leader, but with the slate of official visits that he still has to take it may not be enough when it is all said and done.
4✮ EDGE Julian Walker- Dutch Fork (Irmo, SC)
Walker was one of the most active prospects on social media this weekend and really did seem to enjoy his visit. While that might be the case, it’s still hard to think that it was enough to give the Tar Heels the lead based on where South Carolina was in this recruitment heading into the visit.
4✮ WR Keeyun Red Chapman- Jackson (Jackson, AL)
Chapman entered the weekend heavily leaning towards USC, but that may have changed with what went down this weekend. In the midst of his visit, the Tar Heels handed his brother, 2026 UR CB Keegan Chapman, his first P4 offer. This offer alone is a nice boost to the team’s chances but it’s probably going to take more than that to get the job done here.
4✮ LB Calvin Thomas- Cy Ranch (Cypress, TX)
Thomas entered the weekend leaning towards one of the Texas schools that are recruiting him and it feels like he is in a similar spot exiting the visit. The hope for the Tar Heels was that they would be able to blow him away enough to surge to the top of his recruitment but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
3✮ TE KeKua Aumua- IMG Academy (Kahuku, HI)
Aumua is another guy who entered the weekend closely tied to another school and it feels like things didn’t change that much. Barring something shocking, it feels like Aumua will at least be staying in the state of Florida to play his college football.
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