It had been a rather slow recruiting start for North Carolina and head coach Bill Belichick, but two commitments on Saturday may be the spark their Class of 2027 needed. Running back Isaiah Stephens (Sheridan, AR) was the first to make his decision, while linebacker Tasheem Butler (Glassboro, NJ) joined the class later in the day.
North Carolina was Stephens first P4 offer, back in February 2025. Since then, Ole Miss, Purdue and SMU joined the chase. He had scheduled June official visits to North Carolina and Purdue before making his decision on Saturday.
Despite only being 5-foot-7 and 170-pounds, Stephens has dominated at the high school level. Over the last two seasons at Sheridan High School, Stephens rushed for 2,907 yards and 42 touchdowns, while grabbing 109 receptions for 1,530 yards and 13 touchdowns…