Always, always work somewhere that values you properly. Why settle for a place that poorly remunerates your skills and efforts? And that’s the same tragedy Ryan Day faced during OSU’s 2026 recruiting cycle. The Buckeyes, proud gatekeepers of the “Fortress Ohio,” entered summer feeling pretty invincible, clutching blue-chip commits and ready to remind the world which state produces real football. The class was shaping up as another Buckeye flex: two of the top-rated safeties in the pipeline, a constant stream of crystal balls, and healthy giggling at the expense of Michigan’s recruiting “efforts.”

But then came a plot twist in Columbus, where a kid from Avon named Jakob Weatherspoon, a four-star safety, state champion, and erstwhile apple of the Buckeye recruiting staff’s eye, went off the rails. Yes, after showing allegiance to the Columbus cause in January and icy shoulder treatment for Notre Dame and Penn State, he made a switch to Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels. You could practically hear the mass swoon from The Horseshoe to UNC. The pundits couldn’t resist this transgression, and that’s when Andy and Ari from On3 sounded the alarm for Ryan Day.

The discussion following Weatherspoon’s switch to North Carolina became a master class on the recruiting landmines of today, particularly in a wild west NIL environment where. “Your best current players are going to get the most money,” Andy says on the 18th July episode of On3. “Your highest profile recruits, or the ones you have decided are your most valuable recruits, are going to get the most. And then the ones that aren’t as valuable, you are not going to give them as much. Someone else may find them more valuable than you do.”

Now, this is quite common. The recruiting cycle is all about drama, de-commitments, and the agony of grown men frantically hitting refresh on their phones. But a top-10 Ohio recruit rejecting the home program for a South up-and-comer? That hurts.

Andy continues, “Like you could be the number one player in North Carolina’s class or the number 16 player in Ohio State’s class. Well, you’re going to get more money as the number one player in North Carolina’s class. That’s just economics.” North Carolina made a February offer to Weatherspoon, but come on, your typical recruit does not flip his life around unless there is something extremely special offered. The actual momentum came when Jakob took his visit to Chapel Hill in early June. As it happens, a walk through the Carolina blue campus, a dash of southern style, and the presence of an NFL coaching icon can go a long way towards altering a teenager’s perspective.

Ari adds by stating, “If somebody thinks that the 13th best player in Ohio State’s class or the ninth best player in Ohio State’s class should be the number one player in their class. And they’re willing to overspend or spend more than Ohio State is willing to allocate to the ninth-best player. That’s why it’s impossible to do what you used to do.” The pipeline where Ohio State used to bury starters of would-be opponents on their bench? That’s done. The second-string Buckeyes might have won the Big 10 era is in the past.

Now, schools like UNC can go out and “buy” a class difference-maker that OSU only viewed as developmental depth. Bill Belichick viewed Weatherspoon as their crown jewel and pulled out the big NIL artillery, assuring him he’d be the focal point, not merely a roster designation. The Tar Heels were already coasting on the strength of a Top 20 class, and his flip moved them to No. 17 in the ratings. He joins a locker room of fellow blue-chippers who all bought what Carolina was selling: a fresh start, a head coach with six Super Bowl rings, and the sense that, at Chapel Hill, you’re the star of the show, not just a face in the crowd.

The Bill Belichick effect on ACC recruiting

Jakob Weatherspoon became Belichick’s crown jewel of the summer recruiting effort after flipping to North Carolina. UNC currently sits atop the ACC in total 2026 class commits with a staggering 33 commitments, seven of which are four-star studs. Weatherspoon anchored himself as the second-highest-ranked Tar Heel commit on the board, just behind blue-chip wideout Keeyun Chapman, and is further evidence that this class is more than a group of bodies; it’s a roster makeover.

Belichick’s recruiting class reads like a Southeastern football fever dream: four-star defensive lineman Trashawn Ruffin, do-everything quarterback Travis Burgess, edge buster Zavion Griffin-Haynes (and his twin, Jayden, who both reaffirmed after Mack Brown passed the torch), and point-scorer weapons O’Mari Johnson and Carnell Warren. Seven four-stars have already signed, and, get this, UNC now has more commits who are “number one at their position” in the conference than anyone else.

This is not a coincidence, and this is not good fortune. Belichick is wiping away the dusty old playbook, leveling his class from top to bottom, and reminding blue-chippers they can be the man in Chapel Hill instead of just becoming a cog elsewhere. This past July alone, four more blue-chip investments were just added to the “Belichick Effect.” Other coaches are still getting used to life in the NIL world, but Bill’s game plan is simple: stack ’em high, stack ’em deep, and make every guy a mission.