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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
Four-star quarterback Bryce Baker has affirmed his commitment to North Carolina and will sign with the Tar Heels under new coach Bill Belichick, he told ESPN on Saturday.
Baker, the No. 4 dual-threat passer in the class, has been the top-ranked member of North Carolina’s 2025 recruiting class since June 2023. However, Baker did not sign with the Tar Heels during the early signing period from Dec. 4-6 and remained in contact with Penn State and LSU throughout North Carolina’s weeks-long coaching search, which closed Wednesday with the hiring of the 72-year-old Belichick on a five-year deal.
Baker told ESPN that his decision to stick with the Tar Heels was solidified during a phone call with Belichick on Thursday night, hours after the six-time Super Bowl champion’s introductory news conference. According to Baker, the conversation with Belichick centered on the coach’s “pro” vision for the program, from player development to training to the coaching staff Belichick intends to bring to Chapel Hill.
“Their experience in the NFL is huge,” Baker said. “They’ve been on the level that I’m trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools. They want to develop me, and they know the intricacies that will help me get to my goals. I feel like [Belichick] will bring in the right pieces to build around me. They’re going to make me a priority.”
A 6-foot-3 passer from Kernersville, North Carolina, Baker is ESPN’s No. 193 overall prospect in the 2025 cycle. He was a two-year starter at East Forsyth (N.C.) High School, totaling 3,099 passing yards and 36 touchdowns to four interceptions with another six rushing scores in his senior season this fall, leading the program to a 13-1 finish.
Baker, who initially committed under former coach Mack Brown, told ESPN that he plans to hold a signing ceremony Dec. 18 and will enroll at North Carolina in January. One of three unsigned members of the Tar Heels’ 2025 class entering the week, Baker represents a significant early recruiting win for Belichick.
Despite Brown’s late-November exit, Baker maintained his desire to land with the Tar Heels this month. But Baker kept his options open amid uncertainty with the Tar Heels. He visited Penn State on Nov. 30 and told ESPN that his recruitment came down to the Tar Heels and Nittany Lions.
Baker developed a close relationship with Brown and the previous Tar Heels staff across his first 17 months pledged to the program, particularly former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. By Thursday night, North Carolina was an entirely different program from the one Baker initially committed to, so he entered the conversation with Belichick armed with a list of questions related to development and program direction.
While Baker said Belichick did not reveal specific plans for filling out an offensive staff, the discussion was positive and left Baker confident in a future with the Tar Heels.
“I have to trust that he’ll bring in the right pieces and the right staff to help me out as far as having success,” Baker said. “I want to get developed and be as prepared as possible so when the opportunity comes, I’m ready to seize it.”
Baker’s move leaves four-star defensive end Austin Alexander (No. 298 in the ESPN 300) and three-star in-state running back Demon June as the remaining unsigned prospects in the Tar Heels’ incoming class. North Carolina offensive linemen Austin Blaske and Aidan Banfield each withdrew their names from the transfer portal on Thursday following Belichick’s hiring.
“Initial feelings are very mixed thoughts,” Alexander told ESPN this week. “There’s excitement and wonder. I’m just interested to see what’s going to happen. I do not have a timeline. I am just taking it day by day.”
Belichick’s approach to recruiting and the ultimate scope of his allure on the trail stand among the biggest questions surrounding his first foray into college football in the late stages of a nearly 50-year coaching career. In addition to closing out what’s left of the Tar Heels’ 2025 high school class, Belichick and his staff are expected to turn to the transfer portal to fill several starting roles for next fall with needs across the defense and potential to add at quarterback.
“Their experience in the NFL is huge. They’ve been on the level that I’m trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools.”
Bryce Baker, on Bill Belichick and the new North Carolina staff
Belichick said Thursday that he intends to run a “pro program” at North Carolina, and he has landed in college football at a moment in which the sport’s personnel departments are shifting rapidly toward NFL-style front office models. But recruiting at the high school level remains a relational game, and how well Belichick’s eye for talent and roster construction translates from the NFL to major college football will be critical to his success with the Tar Heels.
“He was very poised and very knowledgeable. He had long answers explaining the terminology,” Baker said. “… They’re going to be bringing in more top guys. They’re going to go after the best coaches. And they’re going to get more disciplined on and off the field.”