Bill Belichick has landed another recruit for UNC’s 2026 football roster, as C.J. Sadler announced his commitment to the Heels on Friday.
Sadler currently plays at Detroit Cass Tech and is a rising senior. He helped lead the school to a Division 1 MHSAA championship as well as a city championship. He visited Chapel Hill in June; UNC was considered one of the favorites to land him after he left, despite being one of the last teams to start recruiting him. Sadler ultimately picked the Heels over Colorado, Maryland and his home-state Michigan Wolverines. He cited Belichick’s detailed plan to develop him and the atmosphere at UNC as the reasons he ultimately chose the Heels over the other school vying for his services.
Sadler is a four-star recruit; he’s listed at 5’10” and 175lbs according to ESPN. He’s ranked as a top 125 recruit by both ESPN and 247 Sports. He’s also the number one recruit from Michigan in the 2026 class.
If you’re wondering how I’ve gotten this far into the article and not mentioned what position Sadler plays, well, there’s a reason for it. Sadler does a little bit of everything at his high school; he accumulated over 1,000 yards, caught 14 touchdowns and added an additional five rushing scores. He also played on defense and was known as a lockdown corner while recording four interceptions. Finally, Sadler also scored three times on kick returns. His position is simply listed as “athlete” on ESPN and other recruiting sites; the designation is what they give multi-role players who don’t neatly fit into one position. Sadler is listed as the fourth best prospect in this category, and Belichick has indicated he will deploy him in multiple roles.
UNC’s 2026 class ws ranked as the 16th best in the country according to ESPN prior to Sadler’s commitment.
