Tag: unc football recruiting

UNC football trending for a four-star DL set to make decision

The UNC football program appears to be the team to beat in the recruitment for a four-star edge rusher.

Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels will soon know their fate for a big four-star reciting target.

Edge rusher Austin Alexander is set to make his decision this weekend, ending his recruitment after landing 29 offers. With the four-star Kentucky native making his choice on Saturday, there’s a team emerging as a leader.

And it’s the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels have the lone crystal ball prediction for Alexander, with that coming from national recruiting analyst Tom Loy. The analyst made the pick on Tuesday with a confidence of 6.

In addition to Loy, Steve Wiltfong of On3 has also listed the Tar Heels as his pick in this race:

Burlington (Ky.) Cooper four-star EDGE Austin Alexander has been a coveted player on UNC’s list since he received an offer in August. And things look to be trending in the Tar Heels’ way as we head deeper into the spring.

On Wednesday, On3’s Steve Wiltfong placed an expert pick in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM) for Mack Brown and Co. to ultimately land Anderson. To do so, they’ll have to fight off in-state Kentucky, Notre Dame and a handful of other programs who would like to add him to their class.

Alexander is ranked No. 381 nationally, the No. 42 defensive lineman and No. 3 player in the state of Kentucky in the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

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

UNC football program makes cut for a top player in 2026 class

Class of 2026 recruit Kendre Harrison included the UNC football program in his top 15 list.

The North Carolina Tar Heels football program took a step forward in the recruitment of a top player in the 2026 recruiting class. And it’s a prospect that could play for the basketball team as well.

Reidsville, North Carolina native Kendre Harrison is one of the best players in the 2026 football recruiting class and is a top 30 player in basketball recruiting rankings as well. Last week, Harrison made an update to his recruitment, cutting his list of 25 offers down to the top 15.

He told Hayes Fawcett of On3 that he will focus on North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Florida State, Tennessee,  USC, Notre Dame, Florida, Penn State, and Ole Miss.

The 6-foot-7, 235-pound tight end is listed as an athlete on 247Sports and is ranked No. 6 nationally, the No. 1 tight end, and No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina per the composite rankings.

Harrison has been to North Carolina a few different times for visits and likely will be back in the future. If UNC could land him as a football recruit, it would also benefit the basketball program as well as Harrison would like to play two sports at the next level.

But the Tar Heels will have to beat some big programs including a few top SEC schools.

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

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.

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

North Carolina football offers two in-state prospects

The UNC football program has offered a pair of in-state recruits in future classes on Wednesday.

Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels were busy ont eh recruiting trail Wednesday afternoon, establishing the recruiting board for future classes.  On Wednesday, the program offered a pair of in-state prospects in the 2026 and 2027 classes.

The first player to receive an offer on the day was wide receiver Gordon Sellars, a 2026 prospect. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Sellars plays at Providence Day School in Charlotte and has offers from Appalachian State, Charlotte, East Carolina, and Virginia Tech so far in his recruitment. He officially added UNC to that list on Wednesday afternoon, posting on X (formerly Twitter) that he had received his offer:

Following Sellars offer announcement, class of 2027 edge rusher Griff Galloway also of Providence Day School announced he received an offer:

Galloway was also offered by Marshall and Appalachian State that same day, adding to his total.

It’s still very early in the recruiting cycle for these classes but it’s good to see the Tar Heels get involved with these in-state prospects.

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

UNC football lands commitment from offensive lineman in 2025 class

The UNC football program got a big commitment from a four-star offensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class on Wednesday.

Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels landed a big recruit in the 2025 class on Wednesday when four-star offensive lineman Alex Payne pledged his commitment.

The Gainesville, Georgia native spent Saturday on campus with his family which was his third trip to Chapel Hill in his recruitment. The third visit was enough to convince Payne to pledge his commitment and give UNC a nice pickup.

Payne also had offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Penn State, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest in his recruitment via Inside Carolina.

With the addition of Payne, the Tar Heels now have five commitments in the 2025 class, getting off to a good start. He joins quarterback Bryce Baker, edge Kamden Laudenslager, offensive lineman Trey Blue, and tight end Logan Farrell. Payne is the highest-ranked recruit in the class.

The five commitments also give UNC the No. 13 overall class per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

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

4-star WR decommits from UNC

Class of 2024, four-star wide receiver Keenan Jackson decommits from Tar Heels.

Four-star North Carolina wide receiver Keenan Jackson has had a change of heart.

Jackson has been committed to North Carolina for nearly six months and going into the early signing period, he has decided to recommit. The prospect took to X (Formerly Twitter) to announce he is decommitting from the program a day before he is set to sign.. He was set to be a part of the 2024 class that was top 25 in the nation and features a few other wide receiver commits.

But instead, rumors are swirling that Jackson will be flipping to NC State when he does make his decision.

The news adds salt to the open wound UNC has been hit with since the regular season ended, with key players declaring for the NFL draft and others entering the transfer portal.

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

UNC football cracks four-star recruit’s top 10

The UNC football program cracks the top 10 for a four-star recruit linebacker.

The UNC football program has had a great season so far, becoming a threat on both sides of the ball. Well, that threat should continue for the next few years, with the Tar Heels cracking the top 10 for top-ranked national recruits.

The most recent recruit, four-star linebacker Tyler Atkinson of the 2026 class, released his top 10, featuring UNC. Along with the Tar Heels are two other ACC schools, Florida State and Clemson. The other schools in the top 10 are Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Texas, Tennessee, Auburn, and Ohio State.

UNC’s best chance at landing Atkinson is to continue to dominate and bring in NIL dollars to the student-athletes. Many top talent are not lining up to sit on the bench at Alabama anymore, giving the Tar Heels a fighting chance.

It would be a huge snag for UNC if they can get Atkinson to lace up in the Carolina blue threads.

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

UNC football lands three-star in-state wide receiver

Mack Brown and the UNC football program has landed a three-star wide receiver in the 2024 class on Friday.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program has added another piece to the 2024 recruiting class.

On Friday, the Tar Heels landed a big commitment from an in-state three-star wide receiver as Javarius Green announced his decision to go to North Carolina at a ceremony. Green held the ceremony at Crest High School just hours before the season opener against Gaffney High School on Friday.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Green picked North Carolina over 20 offers including from Tennessee, NC State, and Michigan State. Green was on North Carolina’s campus back in June and a few months later, it was enough for him to pledge his commitment. He also visited Michigan State in the process.

While he committed to UNC as a wide receiver, Green also plans on playing baseball with the Tar Heels as well.

Green is ranked No. 705 nationally, the No. 92 wide receiver and No.23 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports composite rankings.

The commitment of Green gives UNC 26 total commitments in the 2024 class which is now ranked No. 24.

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

UNC football lands commitment from 2025 quarterback

The UNC football program has landed a three-star quarterback for the 2025 recruiting class on Tuesday.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program are officially on the board for the 2025 recruiting class.

On Tuesday, the Tar Heels landed their first commitment in 2025 class as three-star quarterback Bryce Baker pledged his verbal commitment to the program. Baker made his decision on social media announcing he is “200%” committed to North Carolina.

The Kernersville, North Carolina native had a total of 12 offers in his recruitment but picked UNC over Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, East Carolina, Appalachian State, NC State, and Duke among others.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Baker took a visit to UNC but also took trips to see NC State, Wake Forest, and Tennessee in the recruiting process. His visit to UNC was enough to land the Tar Heels a commitment.

Baker is the No. 224 overall player, the No. 15 quarterback, and No. 6 player in the state of North Carolina per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

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

Three-star UNC football quarterback target sets decision date

A three-star UNC football recruiting target has set a decision date as he will make an announcement this week.

Mack Brown and his staff have put together an impressive 2024 recruiting class, holding the No. 15 class per the 247Sports rankings. And while they continue to push for more recruits, they will soon learn their fate for a three-star target in the 2025 class.

Quarterback Bryce Baker is ready to make a decision and commit to a program, revealing that he will be announcing his decision on Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Baker is a Kernersville, North Carolina native that attends East Forsyth High School. Baker has a total 12 offers so far and has taken some visits including one to North Carolina back in early June.

The decision to commit this early could be a good thing for the Tar Heels after he visited Chapel Hill recently. He also took visits to NC State, Tennessee, and Wake Forest.

Baker has yet to release a final list of his offers so it’s hard to say who the favorite is.

North Carolina has yet to land a commitment in the 2025 recruiting class.

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