The Tar Heels are off to a strong start on the 2026 recruiting trail and they built on that on Monday afternoon.
As first reported by Inside Carolina’s Don Callahan and later confirmed via social media, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from 2026 IOL Zion Smith. The commitment comes after he took a visit to Chapel Hill last weekend where he was officially offered by Bill Belichick and the staff. He chose the Tar Heels over Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.
Smith just recently finished his junior season at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, MD. He earned first team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference honors for his performance this season while helping lead DeMatha to a 10-1 season and a WCAC title.
Smith, who is currently unranked according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, gives the Tar Heels a nice building block to start out their 2026 offensive line class. He destroys defenders with his powerful hands and tremendous upper body strength, especially in run blocking situation. He overpowers defenders constantly with the mean streaks that he plays with and piles up pancakes. He moves pretty well for a guy of his size (6’5, 300 lbs.) and is certainly capable of being a pull blocker. His footwork isn’t the greatest, which is why he is going to likely kick inside, but he does have some solid lateral movement that should allow him to pass protect at a solid enough level if he is going to play guard. Playing for a national powerhouse like DeMatha should also give him a better chance to contribute early at the college level. This is a really solid addition for the Tar Heels for the future of their offensive line room that can provide depth right away and challenge for a starting job sooner rather than later.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels already have six commitments in their 2026 class. Because he is an unranked prospect, the class holds firm as the No. 28 overall and No. 5 in the ACC in 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.