With the chaotic live period of June now behind us, we wanted to make sure we address the many questions you guys have about North Carolina football recruiting. We got enough questions on the board to split this into two parts, so here is part oneof your questions and Deana's replies:
MarcRich asked: Very little news about Jeadyn Lucas' timetable, any info?
DEANA: According to TigerIllustrated.com, our Clemson Rivals site, Jeadyn Lukas is possibly setting up a commitment date on July 28th. That date is his mother’s birthday and will also be coming off Clemson’s big cookout they have for recruits.
MarcRich also asked: Is the Arch Manning visit dead or just a rumor?
DEANA: I really don’t have any intel if Arch Manning will come by Chapel Hill to visit. Just being honest that I don’t have any intel on that.
And MarcRich asked this as well: Will Knotts wait on Greene Jr to commit before making his decision and if both committed would they take them both
DEANA: It looks like Greene is the top target and he has not indicated a timetable on his decision. Knotts has released his top 3 of Maryland, Tennessee, and UNC. It would not surprise me if Knotts commits to Maryland, but if the Heels miss out on Greene to another school, they could possibly swoop in if they feel that way. The WR room has young depth so the staff may feel comfortable with what they have plus Chapman coming in. I do not see them taking both unless they miss on some other guys and go with a best prospect available.
Steat asked: What the status of Arch Manning's visit? Is he still thinking about an OV to UNC?
DEANA: See above. I really see Manning going to a SEC school or Clemson. Also note he is a 2023 recruit and cannot take official visits until April 1 of their junior years.
Woolly51 asked: If there's a reason to take more than 14 players in the 2022 class, how would Mack and staff make room scholarship-wise?
DEANA: There will be attrition no matter the school, but they can only take basically 25 in a year, 50 over two years, 75 over three, and 100 over four. This includes accepting transfers. So, when looking back at Mack’s first three classes, they took 24 in 2019, 26 in 2020, and 19 in 2021. However, they accepted three transfers in 2019 (Cam Kelly, Kyler McMichael, Bryce Watts), one transfer in 2020 (Grayson Atkins), and one transfer in 2021 (Ty Chandler), bringing the total to 73 over the last three classes.
They currently have 15 scholarship seniors/graduates, plus Sam Howell leaving means they will surely lose 16 scholarship players. So that’s not a lot of scholarship spots to fill assuming nobody else leaves, plus five of them are super seniors (allowing them to be at 90 scholarships for this season), and at this time, the NCAA has not yet announced when schools must go back to just the 85 limit without exceptions. So, if that applies to the 2022 season, UNC has very little room to add players.
The staff likely wants to bring in a full class in 2023 and also leave room open for some transfers. The current junior class has 20 guys on scholarship, but that group could lose several current sophomores following their third years at UNC, in which the recruiting class of 2023 would replace.
So, if you look ahead, they may need to really reload heavily in 2023 and especially 2024, and they don’t want to get into a crunch where they can’t take as many players as they need, including using the transfer portal.
The number 14 is the number the staff has been targeting, we can say that with absolute certainty, and we think they will go to 15 or even 16 to get certain kids. But they need to make sure they remain within the 25, 50, 75, and 100 marks throughout, so some of this is in anticipation of coming classes, but also a result of prior classes.
Now, things in recruiting can be a bit fluid, and some elements of this we don’t technically understand. That Mack has to employ a staff of people to make sure they are within the lines here is an indication it’s not a simple process.
Hope that makes sense.
Woolly51 also asked: Currently, it appears that Tad Hudson is the top quarterback target for the 2023 class. Do you agree?
DEANA: He is definitely the top in-state QB target and possibly is overall. Dylan Lonergan from Georgia is also really high on the Tar Heels, but he is also a standout baseball player who could get drafted. UNC has been on Hudson very early in the game, so they feel in good shape with him.
And Woolly51 asked: In your opinion as of right now, who are the "must get" players for Mack and staff in 2023 on offense and defense, and why?
DEANA: Offensively, the wide receiver position with Christian Hamilton and Noah Rogers are big-time. Securing them would be huge and both love the Tar Heels’ offensive system. Also getting a big-time offensive lineman like Monroe Freeling out of South Carolina would be huge.
Defensively, the top player that comes to mind is Rico Walker, who can play anywhere Also, Alex “Sonny” Styles and Caleb Downs are lucrative recruits due to their high potential and versatility.
MarcRich asked: Very little news about Jeadyn Lucas' timetable, any info?
DEANA: According to TigerIllustrated.com, our Clemson Rivals site, Jeadyn Lukas is possibly setting up a commitment date on July 28th. That date is his mother’s birthday and will also be coming off Clemson’s big cookout they have for recruits.
MarcRich also asked: Is the Arch Manning visit dead or just a rumor?
DEANA: I really don’t have any intel if Arch Manning will come by Chapel Hill to visit. Just being honest that I don’t have any intel on that.
And MarcRich asked this as well: Will Knotts wait on Greene Jr to commit before making his decision and if both committed would they take them both
DEANA: It looks like Greene is the top target and he has not indicated a timetable on his decision. Knotts has released his top 3 of Maryland, Tennessee, and UNC. It would not surprise me if Knotts commits to Maryland, but if the Heels miss out on Greene to another school, they could possibly swoop in if they feel that way. The WR room has young depth so the staff may feel comfortable with what they have plus Chapman coming in. I do not see them taking both unless they miss on some other guys and go with a best prospect available.
Steat asked: What the status of Arch Manning's visit? Is he still thinking about an OV to UNC?
DEANA: See above. I really see Manning going to a SEC school or Clemson. Also note he is a 2023 recruit and cannot take official visits until April 1 of their junior years.
Woolly51 asked: If there's a reason to take more than 14 players in the 2022 class, how would Mack and staff make room scholarship-wise?
DEANA: There will be attrition no matter the school, but they can only take basically 25 in a year, 50 over two years, 75 over three, and 100 over four. This includes accepting transfers. So, when looking back at Mack’s first three classes, they took 24 in 2019, 26 in 2020, and 19 in 2021. However, they accepted three transfers in 2019 (Cam Kelly, Kyler McMichael, Bryce Watts), one transfer in 2020 (Grayson Atkins), and one transfer in 2021 (Ty Chandler), bringing the total to 73 over the last three classes.
They currently have 15 scholarship seniors/graduates, plus Sam Howell leaving means they will surely lose 16 scholarship players. So that’s not a lot of scholarship spots to fill assuming nobody else leaves, plus five of them are super seniors (allowing them to be at 90 scholarships for this season), and at this time, the NCAA has not yet announced when schools must go back to just the 85 limit without exceptions. So, if that applies to the 2022 season, UNC has very little room to add players.
The staff likely wants to bring in a full class in 2023 and also leave room open for some transfers. The current junior class has 20 guys on scholarship, but that group could lose several current sophomores following their third years at UNC, in which the recruiting class of 2023 would replace.
So, if you look ahead, they may need to really reload heavily in 2023 and especially 2024, and they don’t want to get into a crunch where they can’t take as many players as they need, including using the transfer portal.
The number 14 is the number the staff has been targeting, we can say that with absolute certainty, and we think they will go to 15 or even 16 to get certain kids. But they need to make sure they remain within the 25, 50, 75, and 100 marks throughout, so some of this is in anticipation of coming classes, but also a result of prior classes.
Now, things in recruiting can be a bit fluid, and some elements of this we don’t technically understand. That Mack has to employ a staff of people to make sure they are within the lines here is an indication it’s not a simple process.
Hope that makes sense.
Woolly51 also asked: Currently, it appears that Tad Hudson is the top quarterback target for the 2023 class. Do you agree?
DEANA: He is definitely the top in-state QB target and possibly is overall. Dylan Lonergan from Georgia is also really high on the Tar Heels, but he is also a standout baseball player who could get drafted. UNC has been on Hudson very early in the game, so they feel in good shape with him.
And Woolly51 asked: In your opinion as of right now, who are the "must get" players for Mack and staff in 2023 on offense and defense, and why?
DEANA: Offensively, the wide receiver position with Christian Hamilton and Noah Rogers are big-time. Securing them would be huge and both love the Tar Heels’ offensive system. Also getting a big-time offensive lineman like Monroe Freeling out of South Carolina would be huge.
Defensively, the top player that comes to mind is Rico Walker, who can play anywhere Also, Alex “Sonny” Styles and Caleb Downs are lucrative recruits due to their high potential and versatility.
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