While on one hand it's been pretty cool - depending on who you ask - that Bill Belichick is in the college game coaching the North Carolina Tar Heels, plenty of Tennessee football fans may be quick to disagree. Especially when it comes to things out on the recruiting trail.
In case you missed it, the Heels pulled a fast one on the Vols and Josh Heupel this week, with 4-star offensive lineman JB Shabazz flipping his verbal pledge from Tennessee to UNC. This isn't the first time UNC has flipped a Vols pledge, as earlier this summer 4-star tight end Carson Sneed also did the same.
It only took Joey Aguilar 1 game to take home a national QB honor
BREAKING: Four-Star OT JB Shabazz has Flipped his Commitment from Tennessee to North Carolina, his agent tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 4, 2025
The 6’7 315 OT from Winston Salem, NC had been Committed to the Vols since July
Ranked as the No. 9 OT in ‘26 (per Rivals) https://t.co/TZoqRLbJDt pic.twitter.com/laBmkXe2Lq
UNC and Bill Belichick have now flipped 2 Tennessee football commits
The Shabazz news was a bit of a bummer for the Vols, but UNC never gave up on the in-state product and he was on hand for the season-opener in Chapel Hill against TCU. From our chair, one would have thought North Carolina getting blown out would have helped Tennessee keep him on board, but that didn't prove to be the case.
As for Sneed, it felt like he had one foot out the door with UT for months, taking several other visits. He ended up flipping his verbal back on Aug. 1. With him being a Nashville product, it only made things worse for Heupel and Co.
Of the five Tennessee commits who have changed their mind, two have committed to UNC, two to Miami and one to Missouri. Belichick was also working to get 5-star quarterback Faizon Brandon to have a change of heart, but the nation's No. 1 QB is Tennessee-bound and nothing is going to stop him from signing with the SEC side.
Despite losing Shabazz this week, Tennessee still has 24 members for its 2026 class - that class is ranked No. 8 in the country by 247Sports. Vols fans are still riding high after flipping Tristen Keys last week too. The Shabazz update was still disappointing, with Billy B ticking off plenty of people in Knoxville.