Three future Tar Heels playing in All-American Bowl today

Jordan Shipp, Ashton Woods and Andrew Rosinski are all coming to play football at UNC next Fall. They’re playing in a big game today.

If you thought this year was a tough one for the UNC football team, next year has the potential to be even more difficult.

The Tar Heels started 2023 off with a 6-0 record and quarterback Drake Maye playing like a Heisman Trophy contender, then lost five out of their final seven games to end a once-promising season.

2024 looked bleak at once, with both Maye and start wide receiver Devontez Walker opting for the NFL Draft, but Carolina hopes to offset those those with a couple transfer portal additions. UNC’s most notable addition is Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson, who once played at LSU and is expected to compete with Conner Harrell for the starting quarterback gig.

There’s also some much-needed, Class of 2024 recruits coming into Chapel Hill next season – three of whom you can watch on TV today.

Starting at 1 p.m. ET, wide receiver Jordan Shipp, offensive tackle Andrew Rosinski and linebacker Ashton Woods are playing in the All-American Bowl.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1w44GKLTaf/

Woods will be key on the defensive unit, which is expected to be revamped with the recent hiring of defensive coordinator Geoff Collins. Cedric Gray was a mainstay at linebacker over the past three seasons – if he leaves, Woods could slide into a starting role.

Shipp will join what’s expected to be a deep receiving corps, as Walker was the only senior or graduate student. Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum, who enjoyed two 100-yard games for the Tar Heels last year, will be expected to take a huge leap in Senior year.

With UNC’s 2023 starting left tackle Diego Pounds recently entering his name in the transfer portal, Rosinski might be the most important recruit of this trio. He’s a 6’5″, 253-lbs. tackle who will only grow as he ages, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him starting for Carolina next season.

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Ashton Woods shuts down recruitment, will be Tar Heel in 2024

UNC football Class of 2024 recruit Ashton Woods, a 4-star linebacker from Marietta, Ga., shut down his recruitment over the weekend.

UNC football head coach Mack Brown continues to build an impressive Class of 2024 recruiting list – and we haven’t even begun the 2023 season yet.

Carolina has commitments from 26 players in its 2024 recruiting class, one of whom is 4-star linebacker Ashton Woods. If there’s one thing the Tar Heels need more of, it’s defensive production.

Woods, who also received offers from Arkansas, Virginia, USC, Miami and Oklahoma, officially shut down his recruitment over the weekend. He will spend his senior season on the gridiron with Walton High School (Marietta, Ga.), go to watch his brother Dom Blaylock on college game days at Georgia Tech, then be ready to enroll at UNC after the school year.

Woods’ decision bolsters the Tar Heels’ linebacking corps for the future. Cedric Gray, one of the country’s top linebackers, will be graduating after the upcoming season and likely head to the NFL. Jack linebacker Kaimon Rucker also heads into his senior season, creating two opening spots in the 2024 room. Power Echols will be a senior next year, so UNC will need some reinforcements.

Linebackers joining Woods in Chapel Hill will be Evan Bennett, Curtis Simpson and Crews Law.

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