On Sunday evening, a day after witnessing the 2024 Tar Heels’ home-opening 38-20 victory over Charlotte at Kenan Stadium, Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a junior from Rolesville High School (N.C.), declared his commitment to UNC football head coach Mack Brown and his coaching staff.
Griffin-Haynes, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound four-star recruit, is ranked No. 114 overall, No. 11 among edge rushers, and No. 9 in North Carolina on the 247Sports 2026 Composite. The Florida native opted for the Tar Heels, who extended an offer about four months ago, over numerous other offers from schools like Ohio State, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee, Miami, Michigan State, NC State, Duke, Virginia Tech, and several others.
He shared his decision through a graphic and caption on social media.
Earlier in the season, Griffin-Haynes attended NC State’s home game against Western Carolina in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season, but the visit did not result in a recruiting win for the Wolfpack.
With Griffin-Haynes’ commitment, UNC football now has two early 2026 recruits and holds the No. 21 spot in the national rankings and No. 4 among ACC schools.
The first 2026 commitment for the program came in late June when three-star quarterback Zaid Lott from Providence Day School (N.C.), ranked No. 519 overall and No. 42 among quarterbacks in the class, pledged to Mack Brown and the Tar Heels.
