Tag: unc football recruiting

Tar Heels trending for four-star linebacker

The UNC Football program is trending for this four-star linebacker as a decision date is looming in August.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program are hoping to capture some more recruiting momentum here in August ahead of the start of the 2022 season. And before they kickoff in a few weeks, the program could have some additions for the 2023 class.

Four-star linebacker Kaveion Keys is set to make his decision on August 27th, ending his recruitment and committing to a program. With just a few weeks before that decision, it appears as if the Tar Heels are the team to beat in the race.

Keys has a total of 14 offers and has taken visits to both UNC and Penn State as many believe this is a two-team race. But now, UNC is receiving a prediction from 247Sports recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong for the crystal ball.

Wiltfong logged his crystal ball prediction for UNC on Friday, giving them the lone prediction in the recruitment. While that’s not a guarantee he lands there, it is a good sign for the Tar Heels’ chances.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Keys is a Richmond, Virginia native that is ranked No. 315 overall, No. 24 at his position and No. 5 player in the state per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

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Tar Heels lose commitment from three-star defensive back

The UNC football program lost a three-star defensive back in the 2023 class as Zachary Tobe has committed to Illinois.

As the UNC football program continues to count down the days until the start of the 2022 season, they lost a commitment for a future class.

On Saturday, three-star defensive back Zach Tobe decommitted from North Carolina and ended up committing to Illinois. Tobe was on an official visit to Champaign to see Illinois and ended up committing to the Illini instead, backing off his pledge to the Tar Heels from a few weeks back.

Tobe pledged his commitment in a story for the USA Today, thanking UNC and stating that he had to go somewhere that he was the most comfortable.

For me, I have to go where I feel most comfortable. Somewhere that I feel I can stand out and be different. Choosing Illinois isn’t an easy decision at all, but I have to use my head. I’m thinking about who I’m going to be, who I’m going to be with, how many guys they’re recruiting at my position and what the culture is there.

Before committing to UNC, Tobe took an official visit to Illinois back on June 17th. The Illini did enough to impress him and stay in the race, eventually flipping him.

Mack Brown and UNC are still in good shape for future classes but will look to add some more depth at defensive back soon as well with other recruiting targets.

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Georgia football offers UNC lean, 4-star DL

The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to North Carolina defensive line recruit Daevin Hobbs.

The Georgia Bulldogs have offered a scholarship to class of 2023 defensive line recruit Daevin Hobbs. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman is considered a North Carolina lean per 247Sports.

Can Georgia enter this mix for another top North Carolina defensive line recruit? The Dawgs have already added a commitment from Jamaal Jarrett, who is one of the top recruits in the state.

Daevin Hobbs is ranked as a four-star recruit. He is the No. 138 recruit in the rising senior class and the No. 2 recruit in North Carolina. Hobbs is the No. 20 defensive lineman in the country.

The four-star plays football and basketball for Jay M. Robinson High School in Concord, North Carolina. Concord is located north of Charlotte. Hobbs was the leading scorer on Jay M. Robinson’s state championship-winning basketball team during the 2021-2022 season.

Daevin Hobbs is a very versatile athlete and plays multiple positions for his high school. He has scholarship offers from elite college football programs like Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, Ole Miss, and South Carolina.

The four-star defensive line recruit announced his scholarship offer from Georgia football via Twitter:

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Five-star QB and UNC football target sets big visits

This UNC football recruiting target and five-star quarterback Jadyn Davis is visiting Georgia and Michigan this week.

While the UNC Football program will go into the 2022 season with a battle between Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell for the starting spot, the future of the position is within upcoming recruiting classes.

And one target that UNC has on their 2024 board is five-star quarterback [autotag]Jadyn Davis[/autotag].

The Charlotte, North Carolina native is ranked as a five-star recruit and a top 20 player overall per the 247Sports recruiting rankings. He has a total of 31 offers in his recruitment so far including from UNC, Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, and Michigan among others out there. Davis has already visited UNC in the past and now, he’s set to be on campus for a pair of big visits.

Per Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports, Davis has visits set for Michigan and Georgia this week.

It’s very early in Davis’ recruitment and there is no clear frontrunner but if UNC wants to keep him in state, it’s going to take a lot. The Tar Heels will have to beat out top programs like Clemson, Michigan, Alabama, and Georgia among others.

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UNC picked to finish third in ACC Coastal Division

The UNC football program is projected to finish third in the ACC coastal division this season as picked by the members of the media.

With ACC Media Days wrapped up, the conference has released the results of the media preseason polls. And for the UNC football program, they are in a much different spot than they were a year ago.

Last season, UNC was a preseason top 10 team and picked to win the coastal division. Many had them pegged as the favorites in the division, setting up a potential matchup with Clemson. However, things didn’t go as plan and UNC struggled throughout the year.

This year, the media believes UNC will be middle of the pack in the ACC and finish third in the conference. Media members in attendance at the media days last week picked UNC to finish third but they did get 18 first-place votes. Miami is the favorite to win the division followed by Pitt:

Miami – 1,036 (98)
Pitt – 911 (38)
North Carolina – 823 (18)
Virginia – 667 (6)
Virginia Tech – 592 (3)
Georgia Tech – 343 (1)
Duke – 220

In the Atlantic, Clemson is the favorite followed by N.C. State and Wake Forest:

Clemson – 1,080 (111)
N.C. State – 959 (44)
Wake Forest – 783 (6)
Louisville – 591
Florida State – 509 (2)
Boston College – 469 (1)
Syracuse – 201

UNC may like it better this way as they wont have a ton of pressure on them this season and can fly under the radar. And Mack Brown even hinted to that as well during media days.

Now, let’s see if UNC can shock some people in what is always a wild coastal division.

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UNC football target cuts list down to three

The UNC football program makes the final three list for a four-star defensive back in the 2023 class.

A key UNC football recruiting target has made an update to his recruitment and it’s good news for the Tar Heels.

Four-star defensive back Braeden Marshall is set to make his decision on July 30th and before that, he cut his list of 32 offers down to just three finalists. Marshall took to Twitter to announce that North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Nebraska are now his three finalists, setting up a battle for the Tar Heels between two Big Ten opponents.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Marshall hails out of Lake Mary, Florida and is ranked as a top 400 recruit per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.

The 2023 recruit will announce his decision soon and many believe the Tar Heels are the team to beat in the race. But could Nebraska and Wisconsin make up some ground late?

UNC had a big end to the month of June and start to July landing multiple commitments for their 2023 class. And now they hope to end July off with a bang and land a commitment.

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UNC Football lands commitment from four-star edge rusher

The UNC football program has landed four-star edge rusher Rico Walker for their 2023 class.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program have landed another big recruit for their 2023 class.

On Monday, four-star edge rusher [autotag]Rico Walker[/autotag] ended his commitment and pledged his verbal commitment to North Carolina. The 6-foot-3, 233-pound edge rusher is a Hickory, North Carolina native and has opted to stay home and play for UNC, picking them over 27 other offers including finalists Auburn, Florida, Maryland, and Tennessee.

Walker took just two official visits as he was on UNC’s campus June 24th and Maryland as well in June.

For the Tar Heels, this is the 15th commitment for UNC’s 2023 class which now ranks No. 20 overall per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.  Walker is ranked No. 193 overall, No. 24 edge rusher, and No. 6 player in the state of North Carolina.

The Tar Heels are likely not done yet with this 2023 class as they have a few more offers out to prospects. When it’s all said and done, this should be a top 20 class for Mack Brown here in the 2023 cycle.

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Four-star UNC football target sets commitment date

A four-star recruiting target for the UNC Football program is set to make his decision in early August.

The UNC football program is hoping to re-capture some of that momentum they had in late June and early July for their 2023 recruiting class. And they will find out their fate for a four-star defensive lineman soon enough.

Daevin Hobbs is ready to end his recruitment here this Summer and has officially set a date for a commitment. He took to Twitter on Saturday to reveal that August 1st is the date he will be committing to a program and will do so at 6:30 p.m. with a ceremony at Jay M Robinson High School.

The 6-foot-4, 262-pound Hobbs has a total of 24 offers in his recruitment but this appears to be a two-team race between UNC and Auburn. Hobbs has taken official visits to both programs but Ole Miss, Tennessee, and Alabama have all offered recently, getting involved late.

Right now, UNC might just be the favorites for the in-state recruiting target as they hold all three predictions for the defensive lineman on the 247Sports crystal ball predictor.

Hobbs is ranked No. 175 overall, the No. 25 defensive lineman, and the No. 2 player in the state of North Carolina per 247Sports.

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Four-star edge rusher sets decision date

Four-star edge rusher and UNC football target Rico Walker has set his official decision date for a commitment.

Mack Brown and the UNC football program will soon know their fate for a four-star edge rusher in the 2023 class. And the Tar Heels are hoping to pick up some momentum in recruiting.

Four-star edge rusher Rico Walker has officially set his decision date and will end his recruitment on Monday when he announces the school he will be attending starting in 2023. Walker took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal that he will make his decision at 4 p.m. ET with a special ceremony at Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina.

The 6-foot-3, 233-pound Walker is an in-state prospect that has a total of 27 offers in his recruitment but is down to five schools: UNC, Maryland, Auburn, Tennessee, and Florida.

Right now, UNC appears to be the leader in this recruitment holding both crystal ball predictions on 247Sports. Walker did use one of his two official visits to UNC back in June, and he was in Maryland for his other. He took unofficial visits to the three other finalists.

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UNC football cracks Top 25 in updated ESPN recruiting rankings

The UNC football program is in ESPN’s updated recruiting rankings, cracking the top 25 on the updated list.

After a slow start to the recruiting period, [autotag]Mack Brown[/autotag] and his UNC football team are back on track after a big end to June and start in early July.

The Tar Heels 2023 class has 14 players committed so far, led by Jaybron Harvey and Christian Walker, both four-star recruits. Brown and his staff have put together a good class here and June and it has the potential to be in the Top 20 when it’s all said and done. That’s a win, considering where they were just a few weeks back.

On Tuesday, ESPN updated their team recruiting rankings here in July listing their Top 25 teams based on the rankings. For UNC, they cracked the Top 25 and checked in at No. 23:

A key to UNC’s top-10 class in the 2022 cycle was in-state talent. For 2023, the Tar Heels are again doing well close to home. Hudson is the top-rated QB in the state and gives them a passer with a strong arm and the ability to make tough throws. Harvey is another top player in the state who is staying at home and is a defender with the tools to develop into a disruptive edge rusher. After landing the top prospect in Virginia last cycle, they have found success there again in ESPN 300 DT Joel Starlings, a big, strong player can help stuff the run.

The Tar Heels still have a bunch of big targets left to make decisions, so this class isn’t completed just yet.

If Brown and the Tar Heels can continue this hot streak moving forward, it’s a great sign for the future of the program.

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