With college football coaches allowed back out onto the recruiting trail to visit high school football prospects this past week, it gave new North Carolina Coach Bill Belichick his first taste of that part of the job.

An NFL assistant or head coach his entire career until now, Belichick first visited some prospects in North Carolina before spending a couple of days in an area ranging between New Jersey just outside of Manhattan to the greater Philadelphia area.

Belichick made quite an impression on the athletes. Some have been big New England Patriots fans, so it was a great thrill in that respect to not just meet Belichick but be recruited by him. They were also surprised by how down to earth he was.

“I was a little nervous at first,” said Gavin Waddell, a 3-star class of 2026 receiver from nearby Rolesville High School. “After 1 conversation with him I felt comfortable because of the vibe he gave me. It was a really cool vibe I felt from he that I liked.”

In addition, assistant coach Freddie Kitchens, a holdover from the Mack Brown era, and recently hired assistant Cory Giddings were also on the trial from Florida up to the southern part of Virginia.

Furthermore, a couple of offers went out to prospect not in that territory range from New York City on down to the lower end of Florida.

“Coach Kitchens came and offered me,” said James Johnson, a 4-star class of 2026 defensive tackle who attends North Fort Myers (FL) High School. “But getting the offer especially knowing who the new head coach is a big impact to my decision making in my recruitment.”

In all, the UNC staff handed out 37 offers by our count this past week. And below is that list: