It appears as though four-star OL JB Shabazz’s time as a member of Heupel’s 2026 recruiting class is going to be very much limited.
Per On3 Sports’ Hayes Fawcett, Shabazz has flipped his commitment from Tennessee to North Carolina.
Shabazz, who committed to Tennessee in July, was in attendance at North Carolina’s 48-14 loss to TCU on Monday night in Chapel Hill. It was a truly disastrous performance by the Tar Heels in Bill Belichick’s first game, so it’s interesting that he is buying in. I guess one game doesn’t define a season or coach, but I have grave concerns about Belichick succeeding at the college level.
Regardless, Shabazz is on the move. But it’s not a terrible hit to the Vols’ class. You obviously never want to lose commitments and particularly 4+ star guys, but Tennessee has had a ton of recruiting momentum lately, having climbed up to the #8 spot in the On3/Rivals rankings. I would expect Heupel’s momentum after flipping Tristen Keys to continue throughout the season as he works to land one of his best classes in his tenure in Knoxville.
Tennessee also still has two four-star offensive tackle prospects in the class in Gabriel Osenda (Clearwater, FL) and Kamari Blair (Clarksville, TN), so there is still quality coming into the program at offensive tackle to build on down the road.
