Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Football recruiting

UNC football commit runs for nearly 200 yards in blowout victory Friday

Demon June will don Carolina Blue next year. The in-state running back enjoyed a big game Friday night.

If there’s one position the North Carolina Tar Heels consistently churn out talent at, it’s running back.

That talent is highlighted this year by Omarion Hampton, undoubtedly UNC’s best player and a future first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. North Carolina also has USC transfer Darwin Barlow and breakout freshman Davion Gause in its running back room.

There’s also going to be additional talent joining the Tar Heels next fall: in-state running back Demon June, who has the Jacksonville High School Cardinals off to a 3-0 start.

College football presents a significantly tougher challenge than high school ball, but if June’s latest outing has a say in who starts for UNC next year, he might have an early leg up.

In Jacksonville’s 53-20 victory on Friday night, June rushed for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

June was one of North Carolina’s more recent commitments, as he chose to play his college ball at Chapel Hill in August. He’s part of a 14-commit class headlined by Bryce Baker, who is widely expected to be the Tar Heels’ future starting quarterback.

As the season progresses for June, expect more big games like this from him. Will June be able to deliver signature performances once he’s playing inside Kenan Stadium?

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UNC football Class of 2027 RB recruit praises Tar Heels during recent visit

Was a weekend visit enough for UNC to land its first Class of 2027 football commitment?

After largely struggling offensively for the first three quarters of last weekend’s game against NC Central, the North Carolina Tar Heels broke away from the Eagles for a 45-10 victory.

UNC’s defense held NCCU to just 167 yards, an impressive figure after the Eagles marched 75 yards on 12 plays, to score on their opening drive. Omarion Hampton ran all over the NC Central defense, recording his second-career 200-yard game, while Jacolby Criswell started most of the game at quarterback for North Carolina.

On the sidelines, but not in the game, there was another important player taking in the action.

That young player was Amir Brown, the Class of 2027 running back from Rolesville (NC) High School who already has an offer from the Tar Heels.

Brown previously received an offer from UNC in June after camp. He was thoroughly impressed, though, with his first gameday experience last weekend.

“I would say it was an amazing experience,” Brown told TarHeelIllustrated’s Lee Wardlaw. “We checked in, and then we ate. We were relaxing in the lounge room until the pregame (warmups) started. Then, we headed to the field to take everything in. “Their consistency (stands out). I’m all about genuine, pure relationships and transparency. Even though I’m younger, when I see them at games or on campus, it is always sincere.”

North Carolina has already extended 16 offers to the Class of 2027. Did it just land its first 2027 commitment by impressing Brown?

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Class of 2026 football recruit extremely thankful for UNC offer

Class of 2026 in-state linebacker Caleb Gordon was extremely thankful for UNC offering him. Will Gordon actually come to Chapel Hill?

The North Carolina Tar Heels are extremely busy on the football recruiting trail, as they are still making offers to Class of 2025, 2026 and 2027 recruits.

UNC already has 14 Class of 2025 commitments, led by in-state quarterback Bryce Baker, who will likely compete with Conner Harrell for the starting role next fall. North Carolina has three Class of 2026 commitments, highlighted by top-10 in-state player Zavion Griffin-Haynes, but none in the Class of 2027.

The Tar Heels are hoping for yet another commitment from their recent offer to Caleb Gordon, a Class of 2026 linebacker who plays at Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, NC.

Gordon was extremely thankful that North Carolina offered him. Just check out what he told TarHeelIllustrated’s Lee Wardlaw in a recent interview:

“It was a burden lifted off of my chest because I went to camp there this off-season, and it didn’t go too well,” Gordon saidBut I worked hard during the season to prove myself, and it all worked out, so I’m just giving all of my glory to the man above. The Tar Heels stand strongly in my recruitment.”

Gordon has two more seasons in high school, but if he’s already praising UNC like this, look for UNC head coach Mack Brown to continue pursuing Gordon.

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UNC 4-star football recruiting target chooses Virginia Tech over the weekend

A UNC dual-sport recruiting target chose Virginia Tech over the weekend. This doesn’t affect the Tar Heels as much as you may think.

It’s not uncommon to see student-athletes play multiple sports in high school, but it’s rare to see the same in college.

The North Carolina Tar Heels were lucky to have a legendary 2-sport athlete in Julius Peppers, the Pro Football Hall of Famer who played both football and basketball. UNC currently has Kaleb Cost, who’s a defensive back on the football squad and outfielder for the baseball program.

North Carolina was also linked to another 2-sport athlete in the class of 2025, Shamarius Peterkin, the 6’2″ wide receiver who plays basketball and football for Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, NC.

Peterkin listed the Tar Heels, NC State and Virginia Tech as his three recruiting finalists. Peterkin also made a decision over the weekend – and sadly, it doesn’t include UNC.

On Friday, Aug. 16, Peterkin committed to the Hokies in the recruiting portal. This came as a surprise to many, who thought Peterkin would stay in-state for his next chapter.

North Carolina’s men’s basketball program wasn’t going to allow Peterkin to play both basketball and football, but Virginia Tech was, a major factor into his decision.

Peterkin’s out-of-state commitment isn’t a huge loss for North Carolina, who already has 14 Class of 2025 commits, including one from 3-star wide receiver Evan Haynes. If Peterkin had committed to UNC, though, he’d mark the Tar Heels’ fourth 4-star commit.

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Class of 2027 running back ‘blessed’ to receive first offer from UNC football

Why is Amir Brown a special name in the UNC football team’s recruiting efforts?

Headlined by their recruitment of star quarterback Drake Maye ahead of the 2021 college football season, the North Carolina Tar Heels have shown plenty of prowess on the recruiting trail.

They can thank head coach Mack Brown for that. Despite UNC’s tendency to collapse late in the season, it’s not for a lack of talent on the roster.

North Carolina’s 2024 recruiting class is headlined by 4-star wide receiver Jordan Shipp, who has all the tools to make an impact from Day One. The Tar Heels’ 2025 group is anchored by commits from a pair of 4-star recruits, offensive tackle Alex Payne and edge rusher Austin Alexander, while UNC’s highest offer in the 2026 class is Faizon Brandon, the number one player in the country.

North Carolina is already dipping its toes into the Class of 2027. On Monday, July 1, Tar Heel Illustrated reported the Tar Heels offered Amir Brown, a local running back from Millbrook High School in Raleigh.

This wasn’t just any offer for Brown, but his first in the recruiting process. He was pretty stoked, as you can imagine.

“This offer from UNC is a true blessing, and it doesn’t even seem real yet,” Brown told THI’s Lee Wardlaw. “Especially (Carolina) being my first offer. I’m just trying to continue to work for more opportunities. I’m not satisfied!”

Brown delivered quite the introduction during his freshman season on varsity, carrying the football 85 times for 472 yards and a touchdown. He helped lead Millbrook to a 9-3 (4-1) record, which included a second-round appearance in the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs.

As Brown gains more varsity experience, he’s only going to get stronger and better.

If UNC wants to find its running back of the future, once Omarion Hampton declares for the NFL Draft, it’d be wise to keep close tabs on Brown.

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UNC football offers son of former NFL standout running back

Clinton Portis tore up the NFL for nine seasons. Could his son be coming to Chapel Hill?

While the main football focus in Chapel Hill right now is on the upcoming 2024 season, there’s no reason the North Carolina Tar Heels can’t start preparing for the future.

UNC head coach Mack Brown is known for his ability to bring in high-profile recruits, such as Travis Shaw, Desmond Evans and – most notably – Drake Maye, who flipped his commitment from Alabama to North Carolina.

Mack is acing the Class of 2025 recruiting trail so far, with 10 commits to the Tar Heels.

Mack also has UNC in the mix for Class of 2026 cornerback Camden Portis, as he offered the son of college and professional football legend Clinton Portis on Thursday.

The younger Portis, who spent the first two seasons of his high school career playing for Indian Land High School in Fort Mill, SC, transferred into North Carolina for his upcoming junior season. Camdin will be suiting up for the Myers Park (Charlotte, NC) Mustangs, who won their conference last year, but bowed out in the opening round of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs.

The elder Portis won the 2001 BCS title with the Miami Hurricanes, then enjoyed a 9-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins (now Washington Football Team). Clinton ended his successful pro career with 9,923 rushing yards – which was 27th all-time but now ranks 32nd – and two Pro Bowl selections.

Could the Tar Heels land the younger Portis and make him a key part of their defense in two years?

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Class of 2026 cornerback visits UNC Thursday

Could a Class of 2026 cornerback don Carolina Blue for his collegiate football career?

There has never been a shortage of offense on the UNC football team, especially in recent years with the likes of Sam Howell, Drake Maye, Omarion Hampton and Josh Downs.

The same can’t be said on the defensive side of the ball.

Last year, North Carolina’s defensive struggles were highlighted by consecutive losses to UVA and Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels started the season pretty solid on defense, most notably with a 9-sack performance against South Carolina, but faltered after the Miami (FL) game.

Several UNC defensive players have already transferred out, leaving the most underperforming unit even more thin, but some good news arrived on campus Thursday.

Demari Clemons, a 3-star cornerback (according to his X account) from Buffalo, NY, took an official visit and spent time at football practice on Thursday.

Clemons has already shown a penchant for tackling and finding the ball in his first two varsity seasons, recording 80 tackles and picking off four passes. These numbers would fit in well on North Carolina – last season, no defensive back had more than 64 tackles or three interceptions.

If UNC truly wants Clemons, it has some convincing to do. His 247Sports recruiting page say he holds offers from Boston College, Buffalo, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia.

Based on his social media earlier, it’s fair to say Clemons is interested in becoming a Tar Heels.

Let’s hope that’s a 2-way street.

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Four-star DB sets official visit to UNC football

A four-star defensive back in the 2025 recruiting class has set an official visit date for the UNC football program.

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program is still preparing for next season and while that’s months away, the future of the program is in recruiting classes.

On Friday, the Tar Heels received news that they would be receiving an official visit from four-star defensive back Onis Konanbanny. The Columbia, South Carolina native took to X (Formerly Twitter) to reveal that he will be on campus June 6th-9th for an official visit.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Konanbanny has 38 offers in his recruitment but cut his list down to 10 to include USC, Michigan, Oregon, Ohio State, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Miami, Penn State and North Carolina.

Konanbanny is ranked No. 262 nationally, the No. 28 defensive back and No. 2 player in the state of South Carolina per the 247Sports composite rankings.

He wont be the only player on campus for a visit that weekend as it’s expected to be a busy one for the Tar Heels’ program.

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UNC football early signing day tracker for 2024 recruiting class

We are tracking the recruits signing their national letters of intent for the UNC football program in the 2024 class.

The early signing period for college football is finally here. Today, recruits across the country will sign their letters of intent to the program they have committed to. Along the way, there could be some surprises as is the norm in college recruiting.

But for the Tar Heels, it should be a standard day for the 2024 class.

The Tar Heels aren’t really awaiting any major decisions and the 2024 class is pretty much set. They did receive some bad news on Tuesday when four-star wide receiver Keenan Jackson opted to decommit and re-open his recruitment with rumors swirling he will flip to NC State. Will there be more surprises on the way?

We are tracking the early signings for the Tar Heels as the period is officially underway.

UNC a finalist to land three-star defensive lineman

The North Carolina Tar Heels make the list for three-star defensive lineman Marcus Downs’s final five.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are on the cuffs of landing another key defensive player, becoming one of the remaining five schools for three-star defensive lineman Marcus Downs.

Downs is a member of the 2024 class from Riverside high school, ranking 8th in South Carolina while cracking the top 50 in the nation at the defensive line position.

Landing Downs will be challenging, with the other four programs being Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Auburn, and the defending champions Bull Dogs. However, signs point that it is a good chance UNC can snag the 6-5, 276-pound Palmetto State recruit, especially after his recent visit on June 7th.

Landing Downs would be massive for the football program that has continued to dominate in recruiting since Mack Brown’s arrival. Building the defense continues to be a priority for Brown’s staff as they look to match the production the offense has produced the last few seasons.

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