Zaid Lott, a 3-star class of 2026 quarterback who attends Providence Day in Charlotte, has committed to play football at North Carolina.

Lott actually committed to UNC more than a week ago, but it was leaked by another media outlet even though media with knowledge of the commitment was asked to not release the information until Lott made his public announcement.

At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, Lott completed 29 of 42 passes for 446 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions during limited action last season playing behind 4-star 2024 QB and Michigan signee Jadyn Davis. Lott will take over for the Chargers this coming season.

Among the many reasons Lott decided to go ahead and lock himself in with the Tar Heels is Hall of Fame coach Mack Brown.

“Coach Brown is pretty cool,” Lott told THI. “He is very wise and cultured. He is pretty funny, too. He has jokes. But in the future, that would be a pretty good person to be around, especially as a head coach. Having a coach who is always willing to be on your side and just believe in you, that would be great.”

Lott’s position coach and offensive coordinator will be Chip Lindsey, with whom he’s also built a strong relationship.

“The way he coaches drills at practice has a heavy resemblance to my head coach, Chad Grier,” Lott said. “You know, he likes to keep it (cool), but if you mess up, he’s going to be on you. He’s great at coaching, and just having a great balance at that.”

Among Lott’s other offers are from Florida State, NC State, and Boston College. He’s rated the No. 17 overall prospect in the state of North Carolina for the class of 2026, and is No. 8 nationally at his position. It’s likely his rankings in all areas will go up once the season begins and he racked up starter’s stats.

But as much as football was the lead draw to Chapel Hill, there isn’t anything about Carolina that doesn’t appeal to Lott.

“The culture at the school is great,” he said. “I've been up for a couple of games with my former teammate, Jordan Shipp, who is up there right now. But they are like a family up there, and everyone really gets along. Everybody just meshes together nicely. The staff eats with the players during their meals and like I said, it's just not all about football.”