Longtime Penn State football commit sets visit with Bill Belichick, North Carolina

The Nittany Lions’ longest-standing commitment in the class of 2026 continues to explore his options in the wake of Ja’Juan Seider’s departure from the Penn State football program. This weekend, Harrisburg (PA) four-star running back Messiah Mickens set up another official visit for the summer, this time with Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

On Friday, Mickens announced on his social media that he will visit Chapel Hill on the weekend of June 20-22. Mickens also recently announced a visit to Notre Dame. Previously, 247Sports reported that his visit to South Bend was set for the same weekend as his now-scheduled trip to North Carolina.

🐑@Belichick_B @_thebillymiller @coachmeans_20 pic.twitter.com/APZaljj2Vt

— Messiah Mickens (@Messiah_1M) March 14, 2025

Notre Dame, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Missouri were all schools Mickens expressed interest in exploring last month after Ja’Juan Seider accepted the running backs coach position with the Fighting Irish.

June will be Mickens’s first visit to North Carolina and his second to Notre Dame. He’s been to Happy Valley 19 times during his recruitment, per On3.

Penn State football currently holds eight commitments and has the No. 8 class nationally in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

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