North Carolina flips 4-star CB Kenton Dopson from Miami

Miami Norland (Fla.) four-star cornerback Kenton Dopson has flipped his commitment from Miami to North Carolina, he announced on Wednesday night.
Pledged to the local Hurricanes since March 13, Dopson is now set to leave home and play for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels — a stunning recruiting win in Chapel Hill.
“First I want to say that i have nothing but love & respect for the coaches, staff & fans of The U,” Dopson wrote on Twitter. “However After plenty thought, & long conversations with my father, I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to #AnswerTheCall at@UNCFootball.”
Despite UNC opening its 2025 season to a 2-3 start, it has continued to make waves on the recruiting trail. It flipped four-star offensive tackle J.B. Shabazz from Tennessee on Sept. 4 and has now added Dopson to the fold.
“What continues to excite me is they continue to stress there’s a need for me, the fact that they graduate both starting corners and being coached by the GOAT,” he told Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong after he announced his flip.
The blue-chip corner reclassified earlier this month. An early piece to a 2027 class in Coral Gables, he moved up and joined a group that ranked among the top-15 nationally for Mario Cristobal and Co. But now he becomes a headlining addition for the Tar Heels.
UNC secures a much-needed recruiting win
Amidst a first season with no shortage of turmoil under Belichick and his staff, the Tar Heels needed — and got — a massive win on the trail.
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Dopson ranks as the No. 170 overall prospect and No. 21 cornerback in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.
Rivals, though, is a bit higher on him than both ESPN and 247Sports. In the most recent Rivals300, he was tabbed as the nation’s No. 85 recruit and No. 11 CB.
“Kenton Dopson is a prospect that we’ve been a little higher than the industry on for a while,” Rivals Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power told CaneSport earlier Wednesday. “We continue to really like him just based off seeing how he’s played this fall. We continue to like his experience and how battle tested he is against top receivers. He’s seen a lot of top receivers and has done well in those matchups on Friday nights. I think he has quality size. He’s a solid athlete. Good polish and awareness in coverage.”
His addition bumps North Carolina up to No. 18 nationally in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The Tar Heels have 37 prospects committed, the most of any Power 4 program in the country.