Bill Belichick made up for lost time. The new North Carolina head coach earned ESPN’s “ biggest riser ” honors for his first recruiting class, which includes 17 prep recruits and two transfers. The Tar Heels’ class ranked 45th and included one top-300 recruit, per ESPN, and is 10th-best among ACC schools.

The eight-time Super Bowl winner is a college head coach for the first time and doing something he has never had to do: recruit.

He will need to prove that he can win and get players drafted, but for now, Belichick’s message is a very potent one.