Tag: 2025 recruiting class

UNC football’s top Class of 2025 recruit signs Letter of Intent on Wednesday

UNC officially landed its quarterback of the future on Wednesday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to win on the football recruiting trail, particularly given their recent hire of Bill Belichick as head football coach.

UNC’s greatest victory, so far, was getting 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker to re-assure his commitment on Saturday.

Baker, North Carolina’s top recruit in the 2025 class, further solidified his commitment when he joined Belichick at halftime of the UNC-La Salle basketball game.

On Wednesday, December 18, Baker officially locked himself into Chapel Hill.

In a small ceremony at East Forsyth (NC) High School, where Baker starred as the Eagles’ starting quarterback over the past two seasons, Baker signed his Letter of Intent in front of coaches, teammates and family.

Baker threw for 6.605 yards, 79 touchdowns and just eight interceptions at East Forsyth, leading his team to four state playoff victories. Baker also showcased his abilities as a dual-threat QB, running for 536 yards and nine more scores on the ground.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDvJIGBuaKX/?img_index=1

With the Tar Heels uncertain about their 2025 starting quarterback, Baker has a golden shot to start from Day One. He’ll be competing with at least Max Johnson, the former Texas A&M and LSU transfer, who broke his leg in North Carolina’s 2023 opener at Minnesota.

Baker has a lot to be excited about as UNC’s likely quarterback of the future. His offensive line already has two key pieces, with 2024 starters Aidan Banfield and Austin Blaske recently withdrawing from the transfer portal, plus he now has a former SEC tight end in Connor Cox to catch passes.

Don’t be surprised to see others follow in Baker’s footsteps, whether withdrawing from the transfer portal or flipping their commitments to the Tar Heels.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

UNC football’s top 2025 recruit speaks on Bill Belichick’s vision in Chapel Hill

Does UNC’s top 2025 football recruit like Bill Belichick’s vision for the program?

Though the North Carolina Tar Heels are busy preparing to play in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, December 28, they can breath a huge sigh of relief about their 2025 football roster.

Bryce Baker, UNC’s top-ranked Class of 2025 recruit and a prime candidate for starting quarterback next season, re-assured his commitment to North Carolina on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, Baker walked onto the Dean Dome court with the Tar Heels’ new head football coach, Bill Belichick.

Playing for Belichick, who won six Super Bowls as the New England Patriots‘ head coach, should be a player’s dream. Belichick is known for getting the best out of his players – and he now takes over a North Carolina program looking for consistency.

On Tuesday, December 17, Baker spoke highly of Belichick and his vision at UNC.

“He just explained how he was going to run it like an NFL place,” Baker said. “He knows there’s differences in college and the NFL, but he will have that next-level accountability he’s going to hold the team to.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDr8fiJRNT3/

Baker, who threw for a whopping 6,605 yards and 79 touchdowns at East Forsyth High School between 2023 and 2024 seasons, will compete with Max Johnson for the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback job in 2025.

Jacolby Criswell is out of eligibility and Conner Harrell is in the transfer portal, so Baker’s path to a starting job is that much clearer.

As legendary a coach Belichick is, the one knock against him is no college coaching experience. College football is becoming increasingly professional by the day, highlighted by how NIL money is tossed around, so I have full confidence in Belichick’s ability to lead North Carolina.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Joel Klatt believes Jackson Arnold can still have success

Joel Klatt thinks Jackson Arnold QB could still have a good career.

Former five-star quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s short time with the Oklahoma Sooners came to an end on Saturday when he signed with the Auburn Tigers.

The young QB, who was supposed to be the face of the program for at least two seasons and lead OU into the Southeastern Conference, will now try to help Hugh Freeze and the Tigers improve upon their 5-7 season in 2024.

He started 10 games in an OU uniform after serving as the backup during his freshman season in 2023. He went 5-5 as a starter, but just two of those wins came against power conference teams and only one was against an SEC team. 2024 was supposed to be the year that he broke out on the scene, but it didn’t happen.

However, there are many who still believe in Arnold’s potential and what he can do at Auburn.

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt thinks that Arnold can still be successful, but he also has some questions. He appeared as a guest on “The Next Round” podcast and remarked it was hard to say for sure whether Arnold would live up to his potential with the Tigers.

“My biggest question is going to be his confidence,” Klatt said. “I’m wondering what happened to his psyche during the course of this year.”

Arnold’s confidence appeared shaken a couple of times in 2024, most notably against Tennessee and later in the season against Missouri. In some of the biggest moments for the Sooners, Arnold was turnover-prone and made mistakes that cost OU dearly.

However, he played very well against Alabama and looked more confident in his second stint as the starter for the final five games of the regular season.

“I think he can have a lot of success,” Klatt said. “It remains to be seen.”

Oklahoma’s quarterback room in 2024 consisted of five players. With Jackson Arnold and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] opting for the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] and Casey Thompson out of eligibility, it will undergo another makeover in 2025.

[autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] will return, and the Sooners signed [autotag]Jett Niu[/autotag] as a part of their [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag] earlier this month. Steele Wasel, a walk-on, could return, but OU will need to add at least one portal QB to fill out the room again.

That likely includes a player who will either be the starter or compete to be the starter under OC [autotag]Ben Arbuckle[/autotag] as Oklahoma tries to bounce back at the position in 2025.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.

UNC football’s highest remaining Class of 2025 recruit re-assures his commitment

A phone call with Bill Belichick landed the UNC football team another recruiting commitment.

If you’re a high school or college football player and you get a call from Bill Belichick, pick up the phone.

On Sunday, December 15, UNC football recruiting target Austin Alexander did exactly that.

Alexander, a 4-star defensive end from Burlington, Ky. who will graduate from Cooper High School soon and join North Carolina for the Fenway Bowl, reassured his commitment to UNC after a Sunday conversation with Belichick.

“He (Belichick) really spoke more about, ‘This is how we will use you coming in,’” Austin’s dad, Durran Alexander, told Cincinnati’s WCPO 9 ABC News. “How we will use your skills.”

In the same story, the elder Alexander said it’s a blessing his son will get to play for Belichick.

After the Tar Heels fired Mack Brown in late November, their future recruiting classes faced uncertainty. 2026 4-star edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Haynes de-committed, while 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker – who remained committed – said he was going to look at other programs.

Getting a re-assurance from Alexander is yet another Tar Heels recruiting victory. With Desmond Evans out of eligibility and Kaimon Rucker recently declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, Alexander has a clear spot to starting from Day One.

Alexander totaled 245 tackles, 42.5 sacks and 26 tackles for loss in his high school career, which ended in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association 5A State Championship on Dec. 7. In short, Alexander produces and will bring his motor to a UNC unit that drastically improved in 2024.

Will Haynes join Alexander in pledging his loyalty to North Carolina? Will any other former Tar Heel targets – and uncommitted guys – select Chapel Hill as their college football destination?

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Amare Campbell returning to UNC football proves the Belichick effect is real

Amare Campbell’s return wasn’t the only big roster news for the UNC football last week.

Saturday, December 14 was a big day for the UNC football program – and continued to solidify why new head coach Bill Belichick is the real deal.

On Saturday, North Carolina starting middle linebacker Amare Campbell withdrew his name from the transfer portal. For a position the Tar Heels entered the season unsure about, given Cedric Gray’s departure to the NFL (he’s now a Tennessee Titan), they witnessed a star develop in Campbell,

Through 12 regular season games, Cambpell tied for a UNC-best 6.5 sacks,  recorded 10.5 tackles for loss (second-highest), 72 total tackles, four quarterback hurries.

Campbell entered the portal when North Carolina dragged its feet on initially hiring Belichick, but withdrew once Bill was the guy.

Campbell’s withdrawal was the Tar Heels’ greatest roster move so far after Belichick’s hire, but it was just one of four moves.

4-star quarterback Bryce Baker officially signed with UNC, while 2024 starting offensive linemen Austin Blaske and Aidan Banfield withdrew themselves from the transfer portal.

What’s particularly encouraging about these recent decisions: despite Belichick never previously coaching at the college level, players trust his longtime success in the NFL.

Belichick led the New England Patriots to Six Super Bowl titles and several additional AFC East Championships, so he knows a thing of two about winning consistently.

North Carolina has its quarterback of the future and two linemen to protect him. There’s no telling what the Tar Heels’ defense will do, but Campbell’s return solidifies a unit looking for consistency. If you watch NFL religiously every Sunday like myself, you know that Belichick had some pretty good defenses in New England.

There’s bound to be several additional moves for UNC: both in the transfer portal and with highly-touted, high school recruits.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Oklahoma Sooners projected to land highly coveted 2026 offensive lineman

On3’s Steve Wiltfong predicts the Oklahoma Sooners to land interior offensive lineman with 20 Power Four offers in the 2026 recruiting class.

The Oklahoma Sooners have turned the page on the [autotag]2025 recruiting class[/autotag], signing 18 players in the class, including four offensive linemen. As the transfer portal begins to heat up, the Sooners continue to lay the groundwork for the [autotag]2026 recruiting class[/autotag]. One that currently features four-star quarterback [autotag]Jaden O’Neal[/autotag] and tight end [autotag]Ryder Mix[/autotag].

The Sooners now appear to be the leader for three-star interior offensive lineman Will Conroy. Steve Wiltfong of On3 predicted Conroy to land with the Oklahoma Sooners. Out of Cleveland, Ohio, Conroy holds 20 Power Four offers, including offers from 12 Big Ten and SEC schools.

He’s considered the No. 14 interior offensive lineman in the class by On3. Back in July, Conroy listed a top five that included Oklahoma, Michigan, Miami, Arizona State, and Florida.

Conroy plays with good physicality and continues moving his feet after contact. He does a good job of sealing players in the run game and shows really good awareness in pass protection.

He’s a player that will need some time to develop to add size to his frame in order to play along the interior in the SEC. But he’s technically sound and has a good base to work from.

Will Conroy’s Recruiting Profile

Film

Hudl

Rating

Stars Overall Position State
ESPN 3 — — —
Rivals 3 14 13
247Sports 3 17 16
247 Composite 3 372 29 19
On3 Recruiting 3 48 27
On3 Industry 3 358 14 13

Vitals

Hometown Cleveland, Ohio
Projected Position Interior OL
Height 6-foot-3
Weight 275 pounds

Recruitment

  • Offered on March 26, 2024
  • Visit April 10-11, 2024 (Spring Game)

Notable Offers

Per 247Sports

  • Arizona
  • Arizona State
  • Boston College
  • Florida
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky
  • Miami
  • Michigan
  • Michigan State
  • Missouri
  • Ohio State
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Purdue
  • Texas A&M
  • UCF
  • USC
  • Virginia Tech
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oregon State OL transfer commits to Michigan State football

Michigan State lands Oregon State IOL transfer Luka Vincic

Michigan State football is taking it upon themselves to totally rebuild their line of scrimmage, knowing that the offensive line play has to drastically improve from 2024 to 2025. The Spartans have taken the first step in improving that area of the team.

Luka Vincic has committed to Michigan State. Vincic will come to Michigan State after spending the beginning of his career at Oregon State.

Vincic was brought to Oregon State by the current MSU coaching staff, including Jonathan Smith and OL coach Jim Michalczik. Very familiar with his game, it will be a welcomed addition to the Spartans offensive line room.

With two years of eligibility remaining, Vincic was slated to be a starting guard in Corvallis last season, and will be given the opportunity to take over a starting spot on MSU’s offensive line.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

Auburn target AJ Dybantsa commits to BYU

The top ranked prospect in the class chose BYU over Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina, and Auburn.

The nation’s No. 1 basketball recruit made his decision on Tuesday. Five-star forward AJ Dybasnta, who is widely considered a generational prospect, committed to play his basketball at BYU next season.

The 17-year-old chose to stay in Utah, where he plays his high school basketball, over Alabama, Kansas, and North Carolina. Auburn was among his final seven preferred destinations but missed the cut into his final four. The likely top 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft officially announced his decision on ESPN morning show ‘First Take’, where he unveiled a BYU shirt under his jacket after thanking “God for putting me in this position”.

While there was little-to-no chance the 6-foot-9 forward would shockingly commit to the Tigers, his official commitment to BYU still carries a shred of disappointment for an Auburn program set to lose most of its front court players after this season. With Dybansta off the market, Auburn will now look for other recruits to join the current trio of 2025 four-star commits in Sebastian Williams-Adams, Kaden Magwood, and Simon Walker. Williams-Adams is the lone front court prospect in Bruce Pearl’s 2025 class.

As for BYU, the Cougars have seemingly re-loaded after losing head coach Mark Pope to Kentucky and a plethora of players to the transfer portal last season. Along with Dybantsa, BYU has signed top 25 prospect Xavion Staton along with four-star power forward Chamberlain Burgess.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter @TheRealBHauch

JUCO product with local ties gets Michigan State football offer

Michigan State offers a 2025 JUCO product with local ties

Michigan State football has extended an offer to a junior college prospect with local ties to the program.

Anthony Pinnace has received an offer from Michigan State football

Pinnace is a native of Ypsilanti, originally attending Ann Arbor Huron before his collegiate career. His college career began at Independence Community College, where he was a JUCO All-American. He originally signed with Washington State last year, but backed out and returned to the JUCO ranks with Iowa Western Community College.

Pinnace is a 5-foot-11, 170 pound cornerback that would most likely be able to bring an immediate impact to the Spartans defensive backfield.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

‘Winning championships, that’s a habit,’ Aggies coach Mike Elko rooting for 2025 commits

“We wanted to find winners,” Elko said. “I’m excited that seven of our commits are still playing and fighting to win state championships.”

Texas A&M football head coach Mike Elko is looking for winners for future Aggies and it appears that he’s found seven in the Class of 2025 commits.

With high school state championships on the line across the country this month, Elko shared his support for Texas A&M’s recruits this week.

“We had to work from really ground zero on so many of these kids of building an image of what Texas A&M should be and will be like,” Elko said Wednesday. “We wanted to find winners. When you talk about closing, winning, winning championships, that’s a habit.

“I’m excited that seven of our commits are still playing and fighting to win state championships.”

While the Aggies (8-4, 5-3 SEC) won’t be competing for a national title during Elko’s first season in College Station, he has certainly established a culture and foundation this year.

Texas A&M stood atop the mighty SEC standings this campaign, and with Elko at the helm, that is likely to occur more often in the future.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.