The North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach Bill Belichck, after a first season filled with ups and downs, will now look to build up their future recruiting classes this offseason.

Looking at Belichick’s previous class, the Tar Heels were quite successful in the 2026 class, landing a total of nine four-star commits. This includes quarterback Travis Burgess and cornerback Kenton Dopson, who are both highly-touted prospects in their respective positions.

With an incredible foundation from the 2026 cycle, the coaching staff will now improve the future roster with the upcoming recruiting class.

Luckily for North Carolina, the program is in the hunt for four-star running back Elijah Kimble.

Kimble is one of the more intriguing targets for the Tar Heels in the 2027 class due to his impressive resume. The Buffalo, NY native is currently the No. 1 prospect in the state of New York, as well as a top-15 running back in the class, according to 247Sports’ Composite.

Throughout his three seasons at Canisius High School, Kimble has made a name for himself, recording over 5,300 rushing yards and 73 touchdowns. Most recently, the rising senior finished last season with 1,726 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns, averaging nine yards per carry. In addition to his strong showing on the ground, Kimble also tallied 10 catches for 172 receiving yards through the air.

At 5-foot-10, 180 lbs., Kimble possesses an elite combination of size and speed that allows him to be a dynamic rusher. In 26 of his 34 games played at the high school level, the prolific playmaker has had 100 or more rushing yards, proving that he is capable of handling a heavy workload. This, mixed in with the fact that he can be a receiving threat out of the backfield, makes him a perfect offensive weapon for any college coach.

Unfortunately for Belichick and the Tar Heels, the program will have to compete against the likes of the Indiana Hoosiers, the Washington Huskies, and the Miami Hurricanes in order to land him. Both Indiana and Miami were in last season’s National Championship, while Washington has a terrific track record of developing NFL-caliber running backs.

Still, North Carolina is amongst the top teams to land Kimble, and he will take a visit to Chapel Hill on Jun 12.