7x Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick hosts 4-star LB Adam Balogoun-Ali at USC

By Viraj Mali

Modified Apr 01, 2025 22:03 GMT

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Adam Balogoun-Ali, a four-star linebacker from the Class of 2026 met with the North Carolina Tar Heels' head coach Bill Belichick at USC's campus in Los Angeles. The defenseman is yet to announce his commitment and top programs are trying their best to grab him, including the Tar Heels.

Belichick became North Carolina's head coach in December last year and has since set about making waves in the recruitment cycle. Balogoun-Ali seems to be Belichick's latest target as he met with the linebacker, as posted on the four-star recruit's X account.

"Had a great time meeting Bill Belichick and visiting UNC for their spring practice!" the defenseman wrote in the caption.

The Tar Heels extended an offer to Balogoun-Ali in January this year. He is set to take his first visit to the program for its spring practice.

According to On3, the Miami Hurricanes have the best odds of landing the four-star prospect. The recruiting website has given the Mario Cristobal-led program a 35.0% chance of acquiring the linebacker.

Adam Balogoun-Ali is ranked No. 241 in the country and is the 17th-best linebacker in the Class of 2026, according to On3. He is also the 35th-best overall recruit in the state of Florida.

The Oklahoma Sooners become the latest program to offer Adam Balogoun-Ali

The four-star defenseman from Cardinal Newman High School, Adam Balogoun-Ali, currently has offers from top schools such as UNC, Miami, Florida, Florida State, Auburn, UCF, Kentucky, Penn State, South Carolina and Texas A&M.

The linebacker's list got a little longer in March as he received an offer from the Oklahoma Sooners. Balogoun-Ali has deep roots in Oklahoma. He was born and raised in the state before moving to Florida.

Despite receiving an offer from the Sooners, there is a huge chance that Balogoun-Ali might end up playing his college football in Florida. According to On3, the Florida State Seminoles have the third-best odds of landing him.

He spoke about the program's defensive coordinator, Tony White, and its linebackers coach, John Papuchis, after his third visit to the program in May 2024.

"I enjoyed it a lot," Adam Balogoun-Ali said, as per Rivals.com. "I learned a lot about the defense that coach White runs. I think that I can definitely have a role to play and help this program... They do a lot of everything with their linebackers. They blitz through whatever gap, they have their outside guys guarding tight ends and running backs. That's definitely stuff I can do."

Both Oklahoma and Florida State will have to try their best to land the four-star linebacker.