Bryce Baker will stick with North Carolina after the Tar Heels fired head coach Mack Brown and replaced him with legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick.

Baker, a 4-star quarterback out of the Class of 2025 who committed to North Carolina in 2023, reaffirmed his commitment and will sign with the Tar Heels, per ESPN's Eli Lederman.

Baker expressed confidence in Belichick and his staff's vision for the program.

"Their experience in the NFL is huge," Baker said. "They've been on the level that I'm trying to get to. I feel like that separates them from a lot of other schools. They want to develop me, and they know the intricacies that will help me get to my goals. I feel like [Belichick] will bring in the right pieces to build around me. They're going to make me a priority."

After Baker's decision, he and Belichick were introduced and posed together at a North Carolina basketball game:

Baker is considered to be the No. 80 player in the Class of 2025, the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 3 player in North Carolina by 247Sports Composite. He held offers from Penn State, LSU, Florida and others.

According to Lederman, Baker visited Penn State on Nov. 30 and was between North Carolina and the Nittany Lions following Mack's firing. He ultimately decided to stick with the Tar Heels after a phone call with Belichick on Thursday.

Baker will hold a signing ceremony on Dec. 18 before enrolling at North Carolina in January, per 247Sports' Don Callahan.

North Carolina has just nine commits from the Class of 2025. Belichick's first task as head coach will be working to get late commits and players out of the transfer portal to attempt to field a competitive team next fall.

Landing Baker is a good start after he threw for 3,099 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and four interceptions in his senior season with East Forsyth in Kernersville, North Carolina. Baker's pledge to Belichick could also lead to a plethora of other recruits trusting the six-time Super Bowl winner to take them to the next level.

Austin Alexander, a 4-star defensive end out of Kentucky, committed to Brown's Tar Heels in April but has not signed with North Carolina yet. He told ESPN that he's not rushing the process but has "excitement" about the prospect of playing for Belichick.

"Initial feelings are very mixed thoughts," Alexander said. "There's excitement and wonder. I'm just interested to see what's going to happen. I do not have a timeline. I am just taking it day by day."

North Carolina has not won 10 or more games since 2015 and finished a mediocre 44-32 under Brown. While Belichick is unproven at the collegiate level, his track record of success as a head coach gave Baker enough confidence to stick with the Tar Heels and they're hoping he can be the coach to take them to a championship-contending level.