It did not take long for Bill Belichick to bring in his first in-state recruit from start to finish. On Dec. 30, Reidsville High School senior running back Jariel Cobb committed to UNC’s football program. He was offered by the Tar Heels on Dec. 22.

Cobb was committed to play at Air Force, but he recently decommitted from that program.

He will hold a signing ceremony in Reidsville’s cafeteria at 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

The UNC offer was his first and only from a Power 4 program. That also makes him the first unconventional recruit for Belichick and company as some traits that they were willing to bet on unlike the other Power 4 teams.

Cobb also received offers from Appalachian State, Bucknell, Cornell, Dartmouth, Gardner-Webb, Georgetown, Maine, Marshall, Morgan State, Navy, and North Carolina Central over his recruitment.

Reidsville won an N.C. High School Athletic Association 2A state championship with Cobb as the lead back in 2023. In 2024, his senior season, Cobb broke his collarbone in the final regular season game missed the playoffs. Reidsville was ultimately upset in the second round.

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound athlete accumulated over 1,200 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground during his junior season and over 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior.

Overall, Cobb rushed for 3,001 yards and 43 touchdowns while adding 306 yards and two touchdowns through the air during his career. He also had 86 solo tackles, 17 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, and three fumble recoveries in his career as linebacker.