Tag: UNC Tar Heels

Lucky number 7: Sooners score seventh commitment in July as Lewis Carter pledges to Oklahoma

As the Sooners continue to stay scalding hot in July, landing yet another commitment. This time from four-star LB Lewis Carter.

Don’t let the lede deceive you. The Oklahoma Sooners are far from lucky this month. This type of recruiting success takes planning, hard work, and maybe just a little luck.

Nonetheless, the Sooners are as hot as an  mid-July summer day on the recruiting trail. They landed their seventh commitment in July, when 2023 linebacker Lewis Carter pledged to Oklahoma Saturday afternoon.

Carter, a four-star linebacker out of the Tampa area, chose Oklahoma over Auburn, UNC, Clemson, Florida, Miami, and UCF.

He’s smaller in build for a linebacker and maybe has long-term potential as a sub-package linebacker that plays in the box as a strong safety on other downs. He’s very athletic and that quality is the first thing that jumps out to you when watching his film.

After a fast and furious morning of predictions yesterday, Carter wasted no time locking in his future home.

With Carter’s commitment, Oklahoma is fine No. 10 nationally for recruiting in the 2023 class.

His pledge potentially closes up shop for linebacker recruiting for 2023 barring a very surprising commitment.

Carter’s recruitment was pretty swift as the Sooners only offered the Florida linebacker in May. He visited officially the weekend of June 10th, and about five weeks later he is now a member of the Sooners “CHO23N” class. Carter was offered by Venables when the first-year Sooners head coach was still the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Clemson, so the relationship was well established before the Sooners’ offer came in.

The Floridian joins four-star Samuel Omosigho, three-star Phil Picciotti, and three-star Kaleb Spencer as new linebackers to be coached by Ted Roof and Brent Venables. Carter’s commitment gives Oklahoma sixteen commitments in total.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Marvin Mims among the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell

Oklahoma Sooners Marvin Mims is one of the top 10 returning wide receivers according to Rivals’ Mike Farrell.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ passing game took a bit of a hit over the offseason with the transfers of [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] and the NFL draft departure of [autotag]Mike Woods[/autotag]. While the Sooners lost their top three wide receivers in targets and receptions, they’re bringing back arguably their best wide receiver over the last two seasons, [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

Mims production in 2021 was a product of circumstance. After leading the team in receptions and yards in 2020, expectations soared for the sophomore receiver heading into last season. With the depth and the inconsistent nature of the offense, it was difficult for Mims to find consistent opportunities last fall.

As teams began to take the deep ball away from the offense, little adjustments were made to get Marvin Mims opportunities in the short to intermediate parts of the field. Just 15 of his 41 targets on the season were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. Only 37% of Mims targets went to the short part of the field. Compare that to Mike Woods (59%), Mario Williams (54%), and Jadon Haselwood (48%), and it’s clear that Lincoln Riley didn’t know how to get his best wide receiver involved. And that doesn’t account for the number of routes run deep down the field where he didn’t get the ball thrown his way.

But as the Sooners look to the future with [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as the offensive coordinator and Cale Gundy as the wide receivers coach, there’s renewed optimism in Marvin Mims and his ability to lead a wide receiver group that has talent but also has something to prove. Last week, Mike Farrell released his top 10 wide receivers returning for the 2022 season, and Marvin Mims came in at No. 7.

Mims is joined by three other Big 12 wide receivers, including Xavier Hutchinson of Iowa State at No. 10, Quentin Johnston of TCU at No. 5, and Xavier Worthy of Texas at No. 4.

The Big 12 leads the way with four wide receivers in Farrell’s top 10. The ACC is next with three, followed by the Big 10 with two, and the SEC with one.

Looking over this list, it’s clear that Mims could be more involved in the offense. Five of the top 10 wide receivers on the list had more than double the number of receptions that Mims saw in 2021. Two of those receivers had three times as many receptions last year.

Heading into his third season, Marvin Mims has a chance to lead the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yardage yet again. His big-play potential has stood out since he stepped foot in Norman. Will Jeff Lebby get him involved in other ways instead of solely relying on him as a deep threat? Based on the number of plays and the tempo Lebby wants to play with, Mims will have a chance to put up big numbers in 2022.

Here’s a look at the top 10 returning receivers according to Mike Farrell and their numbers from 2021.

The three most surprising stats from Wisconsin’s 85-62 win over North Carolina

It was a surprising night at Mackey Arena

In a game where the final score certainly counts as a surprising stat, Wisconsin’s 85-62 win over North Carolina in round one of the NCAA Tournament had statistical surprises all over the final box score.

The Badgers were expected to lose the rebounding battle against a North Carolina team that pulls down more offensive rebounds than any team in the nation. Wisconsin has struggled to shoot the basketball for the past three months, despite finding a little something in that regard during the Big Ten tournament.

Tonight you can throw all that out the window. Here are three surprising stats from Wisconsin’s 85-62 win over North Carolina:

Wisconsin vs UNC tip time and location set for NCAA Tournament Round of 64

The Badgers have a tip time for round one

The Wisconsin Badgers are heading to a familiar arena in round one of the NCAA Tournament, but that isn’t exactly a positive thing. As a 9-seed in the south region of the bracket, Wisconsin will open with 8-seed North Carolina at Mackey Arena, the home of the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Badgers are historically horrendous at Mackey Arena, granted they have never played an opponent not named Purdue in the building. Wisconsin is 4-42 all-time at Mackey Arena vs the Boilermakers, but they meet a different opponent in the building on Friday.

Wisconsin-UNC is scheduled for a 6:10 PM CT tip as the winner matches up with the winner of 1-seed Baylor and 16-seed Hartford in the Round of 32.

Who are UGA’s next CB targets in the class of 2021?

The Georgia Bulldogs are looking to add another cornerback recruit in the class of 2021 after the commitment of Tony Grimes.

Five-star 2021 cornerback Tony Grimes recently committed to North Carolina Tar Heels. Grimes was Georgia’s top target at the position in the class. Georgia was considered second-best in the running for his commitment

Grimes, out of Virginia Beach, ranks as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback in the 2021 class. He is also America’s No. 7 player overall and the best player in the state of Virginia.

Now that he’s committed to UNC, where does Georgia go from here? The Bulldogs currently have a commitment from David Daniel, a four-star defensive back/athlete, but Georgia could lose both Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes to the 2021 NFL Draft. That means Kirby Smart and Georgia will likely be looking for a pair of cornerback recruits in the class of 2021.

First of all, it starts with the class of 2020. Georgia secured a commitment and signing from five-star corner Kelee Ringo. Additionally, Jalen Kimber, a four-star cornerback from Texas, figures to be a contender to start at corner in 2021.

Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, and the Georgia Bulldog defense will find an elite talent at cornerback. The main question is who? Nyland Green hails from Eric Stokes’ hometown of Covington, Georgia and is a four-star recruit. He’s considered the top in-state cornerback.

Kamari Lassiter put the Bulldogs in his top schools recently.He’s a three star recruit from Alabama.

De’Jahn Warren, a top 2021 community college recruit, is strongly considering UGA as well. Warren visited Athens back in December, but is favored to stay local and attend Penn State.

Lastly, Georgia is in the race for the best recruit in West Virginia in Isaiah Johnson. John is a four-star cornerback from Bluefield High School.

We’ll continue to update you throughout Georgia’s recruiting efforts. The NCAA has extended the dead period for recruiting.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

5-star CB Tony Grimes to announce commitment

Five-star 2021 cornerback Tony Grimes released a top four of Georgia, Ohio State, North Carolina and Texas A&M

Five-star 2021 cornerback Tony Grimes released a top four of Georgia, Ohio State, North Carolina and Texas A&M. Now, he’s ready to make his commitment.

Grimes, out of Virginia Beach, ranks as the nation’s No. 1 cornerback in the 2021 class. He is also America’s No. 7 player overall and the top player in the state of Virginia.

Grimes announced via Twitter that he plans to make his commitment at 5:00 PM Eastern Time today:

This recruiting battle looks to be coming down to the Tar Heels and the Bulldogs. However, you can never count the Buckeyes out. Per 247Sports’ crystal ball, UNC is the favorite.

Watch Grimes commit here:

Georgia recently picked up a commitment from 2021 four-star outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss. The Bulldogs also got one from 2022 cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew. The Dawgs picked up a commitment from four-star offensive guard Dylan Fairchild, too.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]

WATCH: Former Longhorn Mack Brown celebrates after gaining bowl eligibly

UNC defeated arch-rival NC St. gaining bowl eligibility in Mack Brown’s first season. He celebrated with the team in the locker room.

When Texas fired Mack Brown in 2013, he was just four years removed from winning the Big 12 and making a national championship appearance. In those four years, he never got back to double-digit wins, with his best record being 9-4. After being fired, Brown took some time to work in the media, working with ESPN as a studio analyst.

Five years after being let go from Texas, Brown was hired by the school where he started his Power 5 head coaching career, North Carolina. He inherited a mess, with the program losing nine games two years in a row. Brown had three 10 win seasons while at UNC, but they had only had one since he left in 1998.

The Tarheels defeated in-state arch-rival North Carolina State 41-10 on Saturday, gaining bowl eligibility in Brown’s first season as the head coach. He rightfully celebrated with the team in the locker room after the game.

With North Carolina being bowl eligible, people have started to wonder if they could match up with Texas in the Camping World Bowl. Even Camping World’s CEO Marcus Lemonis said it would be a good game.

If the Tar Heels and Longhorns were to meet in the Camping World Bowl, not only would there be a reunion with Mack Brown, but it would be the first time the schools have met since 2002. Brown has turned the UNC football program around and has a chance to become a consistently good team in the ACC.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Alabama basketball loses vs. UNC in The Bahamas

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide Mens Basketball team dropped their third game of the season (2-3) against the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-0) in ‘Battle 4 Atlantis.’ The final score of the contest was much closer than many had anticipated …

Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide Mens Basketball team dropped their third game of the season (2-3) against the North Carolina Tar Heels (5-0) in ‘Battle 4 Atlantis.’

The final score of the contest was much closer than many had anticipated (76-67).

Alabama stays strong in the first half, entering halftime only down by six points.

The Tide wasn’t able to overcome the deficit in the second half and lost by nine, which should still be a moral victory for the program seeing that the Tar Heels entered this matchup as the sixth best team in the nation.

Offensively, Alabama just didn’t appear to be all there.

The team shot for a combined 38 percent on field goals, 35 percent for threes and a miserable 44 percent from the line.

The only two valuable offensive pieces tonight were John Petty and Kira Lewis Jr., both of whom were the only players that played over 35 minutes.

Petty led the team with 23 points, while Lewis was right behind him with 20.

The Alabama defense wasn’t terrible as they had six steals, four blocks and 14 turnovers.

The 2019 – 2020 college basketball season is still young, and while the Crimson Tide are currently under .500 on the year, it’s not time to panic yet.

Nate Oats is set to lead his team into the next round of the ‘Battle 4 Atlantis’ against the Iowa State Cyclones, who lost in round one against Michigan.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]