Tag: North Carolina football

UNC football adds defensive back commitment for 2026 class

UNC football adds another commitment to the Class of 2026.

UNC football is added to its roster once again with another commitment from the Class of 2026. Earlier this week, the team added a commitment from Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a four-star edge rusher.

This time, Mack Brown and company are bolstering the secondary with cornerback Danny Odem from Florida. They both join three-star Zaid Lott as the three recruits for the Heels Class of 2026.

Odem is not ranked on On3 or 247 Sports, but ESPN gave him a three-star rating, the No. 292 best player in the class.

Dan Callaham and Inside Carolina got this quote from Odem. “North Carolina has always been my dream school. So, it was just very exciting when they offered and invited me to the game.”

Dan Callahan went on to say that three games into his junior season, Odem is third in tackles for the First Academy with 24. He’s also one of two players who has recorded an interception.

Odem has time to blossom as a defensive back after also playing wide receiver at the high school level. It is yet to be seem what Odem’s ceiling really can be under collegiate coaching.

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 battling tough competition for five-star Kendre Harrison

Kendre Harrison is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2026 and UNC faces tough competition for him from this football powerhouse.

One of the most sought-after recruits of the Class of 2026 is Kendre Harrison. The Providence Day School product is the No. 1 ranked tight end in the class, and being an in-state product is one of UNC football‘s heaviest recruits.

Not only that, the superstar football player also has several big-time offers on the basketball side of his game. Could Harrison be the next Julius Peppers in Chapel Hill in the coming years?

The four-star recruit is the No. 3 player in North Carolina in the class standing at 6-foot-7 and 243 pounds. According to On3 Sports, Harrison has two front-running teams battling it out on the recruiting floor for his services.

Those two teams are the University of Tennessee and UNC says Chad Simmons of On3 in a subscribers article.

The Tar Heels are the local school, the school in Chapel Hill is the one Harrison has visited too many times to count. Mack Brown’s program has been viewed as the favorite from the beginning, but based on intel, North Carolina has company. Yes, the Tar Heels are close to home and he has relationships with the football and basketball coaches as well as connections with some players, but Tennessee continues to be a strong contender.

According to 247sports, Harrison has gone to a “cool” prediction on every team besides the Tar Heels where he remains a “warm” insight.

However, Tennessee is making a strong push and Harrison recently told Ryan Callahan that he “cant wait to get back to Tennessee” when he visits this fall to see the Volunteers.  It sounds like UNC will have to win a BIG recruiting battle for Harrison.

In 247sports composite score, Harrison is the No. 9 player in the nation and the No. 2 player in North Carolina and ranks as a five-star with a .9960.

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 rises in latest USA Today’s college football re-rank

#UNC football up to this rank in the latest re-rank from USA Today’s Paul Myerberg.

The Heels came home last Saturday and took down Charlotte inside Kenan Stadium despite overcoming multiple issues with the injury bug.

The 38-20 score could have easily been a higher differential should UNC football and Mack Brown have kept their foot on the pedal. Conner Harrell proved the passing attack can be consistent without Max Johnson.

Davion Gause proved that Omarion Hampton has a new running mate and that the Heels are set up for the future in post-Hampton era.

After a Week 1 win against Minnesota on the road, Paul Myerberg dropped UNC seven spots from No. 32 down to No. 39. With another win under their belt in Week 2, Myerberg has moved UNC back up to No. 34 from No. 39.

The club is still not back up to its preseason ranking, but it is at least trending in the right direction. Other big ACC schools slid this week with NC State down 10 spots and Georgia Tech down 18 spots after losses this week.

There are still nine teams ahead of the Heels with a loss in the first two weeks of play. There are also four ACC teams ahead of UNC on Myerberg’s listing as well. Hopefully, as the wins keep piling in, the rank will keep increasing.

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 climbs slightly in Week 3 AP Poll release

With the third rendition of the AP Poll released, #UNCfootball climbed slightly higher than it was last week.

North Carolina came home for the first time this season and did not disappoint. UNC football took down in-state rival Charlotte 38-20 at Kenan Stadium behind a dominant season debut from quarterback Conner Harrell.

Harrell finished with 219 yards and three touchdowns (one on the ground) with an interception. Davion Gause dominated in replacement for Omarion Hampton running 16 times for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Christian Hamilton and Bryson Nesbit caught the two touchdowns from Harrell and both led the team in receiving.

The AP Poll was released today ahead of Week 3 in the college football season, and although the Heels don’t rank inside of the Top 25, they did move up slightly with seven votes, three more than last week.

https://twitter.com/On3sports/status/1832841770528628765

Boston College, another ACC team, moved into the Top 25 after its Week 1 win over Florida State. NIU was also a surprise entrance into the rankings after a win over the former No. 5 ranked Notre Dame.

Others remained in a similar position. North Carolina was hindered after its Week 1 win over Minnesota by the injury to Max Johnson and now with Kaimon Rucker ruled out for several weeks and Omarion Hampton not finishing the game, it gives voters pause on the Tar Heels’ hopes moving forward.

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

PHOTOS: UNC football’s home opening rout against Charlotte

The #TarHeels came home to Kenan Stadium and did not disappoint. Check out these photos from the win!

North Carolina came home for the first time for the 2024 season, and the game did not disappoint. The Heels took down Charlotte 38-20 in front of a packed stadium and a new starting quarterback in Conner Harrell.

Harrell led the team with over 200 yards passing and three touchdowns including two through the air and one on the ground. Two major injury concerns loom large after the win with Kaimon Rucker missing the whole game and Omarion Hampton in the second half.

However, the team came to battle, and battle they did. Here are some photos I’m the win tonight:

Conner Harrell leads offense with three touchdowns in first game as a starter

Conner Harrell boosted the #UNC offense to a 38-20 win with three touchdowns.

North Carolina came home to Kenan Stadium for the team’s first home game of the season against Charlotte today. In a game that was projected to be a three-score or more differential, the Tar Heels provided plenty of pizazz winning 38-20.

Specifically, one of the biggest things we kept our eye on was the ability of quarterback Conner Harrell to lead this offense and put together a passing attack that other teams would have to honor.

Harrell did just that. He proved today that his game is well-rounded, his decision-making is above par, and he can launch the ball downfield.

That was especially true on the team’s trick play that ended in a 58-yard touchdown strike to Christian Hamilton.

Harrell finished the game with 16 completions on 25 attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He also added nine carries for 39 yards and a touchdown with his legs.

The sophomore quarterback from Alabama still has much to prove as the opponent will only get harder, but this was exactly the start that fans, coaches, and players alike wanted to see out of their new starting quarterback.

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

Omarion Hampton is heading for UNC football’s all-time rushing record

Can Omarion Hampton break the #UNC all-time rushing record?

There is no shaking the fact that UNC football running back Omarion Hampton is one of the best in the business at what he does. He is not only looking to be the best rusher this season, but he is also looking to win.

He proved that in the very first week of the season when he ran 30 times for 129 yards. The passing attack wasn’t working, but handing the ball off to Hampton was right what the offense needed in that timeframe.

Hampton now had 2,034 yards on the ground. He totaled 401 yards in his freshman season and 1,504 yards in his breakout sophomore campaign.

Hampton needs just 500 yards to break into the Top 10 all-time for the program knocking Elijah Hood out. However, depending on how long his stays, Hampton could take over the record from Amos Lawrence, the UNC running back from 1977-1980.

If Hampton has as many yards this season as he did last, he will finish the year with 3,409 total yards on the ground. That would place him s the No. 4 ranked rusher in UNC history.

After that, he would need just 1,342 yards to break Lawrence’s record and become the greatest rusher in UNC football history.

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 receives votes in the Week 2 AP Poll release

UNC football is on the vote-getting board in the latest AP Poll after win over Minnesota.

Week 2 college football polls were released today after a delay in Week 1 with games on Sunday and Monday. UNC football already received votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll, and now, the same has happened in the AP Poll.

North Carolina’s win on the road over Big Ten opponent Minnesota was shaky. That is undeniable. It took Noah Burnette going 4/4 and a hope that Minnesota’s kicker missed the game-winning field goal to win.

However, it did leave with a win nonetheless. Another major story was the injury to Max Johnson that ended up requiring surgery and will cost him the entire season. That also plays a factor in the poll decisions.

The Heels came in at No. 39 on Week 2 AP Poll with a total of four votes for breaking into the Top 25. Tulane was the other program that also received four votes from the panel.

Five teams from the ACC cracked the Top 25 including Miami at No. 12, Louisville at No. 22, Georgia Tech at No. 23, NC State at No. 24, and Clemson at No. 25. Only two teams who lost in Week 1 remained in the Top 25.

North Carolina’s next two games will not move the needly in a major way unless the team throttles both its incoming opponents proving that the offense will be just fine under Conner Harrell.

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 falls in USA Today’s Top 134 re-rank after Week 1

#UNC football falls seven spots in a post-Week 1 re-rank of the Top 130 college football teams.

Week 1 in college football was kind to the Tar Heels. Several factors that could have gone array for the team, didn’t, including the fact that they were on the road and that they were playing a power conference opponent.

The only thing that went wrong for the Heels in Week 1 was the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Max Johnson. However, Conner Harrell took over and it didn’t take long for him to take as much control over the offense as Johnson had.

Despite all of that, UNC football still fell in USA Today’s Paul Myerberg’s re-rank of the Top 134 college football programs in the nation. Preseason, they opened up at No. 32 before dropping to No. 39 after the Week 1 win, a fall of seven rankings.

It marks the biggest fall by a team that won in Week 1 in the Top 50 schools on the list. In fact, the only teams in the Top 40 to drop faster than North Carolina were Clemson (down 19 spots) and LSU (down 10 spots) who both lost their Week 1 opening contest.

North Carolina will have some work to do in the coming weeks to prove to the nation that Conner Harrell can lead a Top 25 offense with Omarion Hampton behind him.

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 bowl projections change after Week 1 win

After a Week 1 win against a Big Ten team, #UNC football’s bowl projections have shifted.

The North Carolina Tar Heels went into hostile territory in Week 1 of the college football season and pulled off a win against Minnesota of the Big Ten. They won their first true road opener in over 30 years.

The Heels squeaked by a win on a missed field goal with four seconds remaining in their first game. Kicker Noah Burnette went 4/4 on his field goals and scored the most points in the game.

Max Johnson scored the only touchdown of the game for UNC, but he also left with a season-ending leg injury before being replaced by Conner Harrell who finished the game at the position.

Before the season started, Brad Crawford and 247sports had UNC football playing in the Military Bowl against Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 28th.

https://twitter.com/BCrawford247/status/1830253250437947774

Now, Crawford has moved UNC up to playing ACC rival Cal in his new rendition of his bowl projections. The two will take each other on December 30th in the Sun Bowl.

If the Heels continue to win games, hopefully, they will continue to climb in bowl projections, ultimately shooting for a spot in the 12-team playoff.

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