Bill Belichick landed his first major recruit on Saturday.
Quarterback Bryce Baker, a four-star recruit from Rivals.com and the top-ranked member of North Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class, reaffirmed his commitment to the Tar Heels on Saturday, he told ESPN.
Baker had committed to play at North Carolina in June 2023, but he had yet to sign and was still in contact with both Penn State and LSU in recent weeks. But Baker said he was convinced to stick with the program after a phone call with Belichick Thursday night. That call came just hours after the longtime head coach of the New England Patriots was officially introduced as the program’s next head coach.
“Their experience in the NFL is tremendous,” Baker said. “They are at the level I am trying to reach. I feel like that sets them apart from a lot of other schools. They want to develop me and they know the intricacies that will help me achieve my goals. I feel like [Belichick] will bring in the right pieces to build around me. They’re going to make me a priority.”
Baker, a 6-foot-4 quarterback from Kernersville, North Carolina, is the No. 7 quarterback in his class. He threw for 3,099 yards and 36 touchdowns with just four interceptions while leading East Forsyth High School to a 13-1 record this fall.
Baker said he will officially sign with the program next week, and will enroll at North Carolina in January. Only two others in the recruiting class – four-star defensive end Austin Alexander and three-star running back Demon June Jr. – have still not been signed.
Belichick, after winning six Super Bowls with Tom Brady and the Patriots, officially agreed to acquire North Carolina’s Mack Brown earlier this week. The 72-year-old will now look to lead a program largely overshadowed by its basketball team, which has had just one 10-win season since 1997.
While things will be significantly different for Belichick now that he’s in college — he’s never had to recruit players at this level to begin with, let alone in the NIL era — he may already have his most important recruit ahead of him won.
“I have to trust that he’s going to put in the right pieces and the right personnel to help me get to the point where I’m successful,” Baker said. “I want to develop and be as prepared as possible, so if the opportunity arises I will be ready to take it… He was very balanced and very knowledgeable. He had long answers explaining the terminology… They will be by bringing in more top guys. They will go after the best coaches and they will become more disciplined both on and off the field.”
