It's been a little while and now is a good time for another edition of our popular Insider Notes, which tries to give folks an inside look, behind the scenes, at some things transpiring in the world of Tar Heel football recruiting.
Monster Defensive Back Class?
It's easy to settle into a comfortable group of prospects to follow but football recruiting is much more vast and uncomfortably complicated than that. Things can still change at the drop of a hat and new names are popping up or reemerging left and right.
Four-star cornerback Patrice Rene has been leaning towards an early decision but lately he's indicated that a decision could wait for a little while. He visited UNC recently and the Tar Heels are one of his favorites along with Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Duke and Rutgers. I'm a big fan of this guy's potential and you have to love his imposing size in the secondary.
Speaking of secondary targets, the Tar Heels are suddenly in a position to put together a monster class if the chips fall the right way. Javontay Smith, at the very least, has been 'validated.' Not that the UNC staff needed validation, but their Georgia commit has offers from LSU and Alabama. For anyone, that's huge. For a defensive back, that's as good a seal of approval as you can get.
There's been some consternation that Smith's slipping away but I haven't heard anything to indicate that. There are your Ronnie Harrisons, but there are your William Sweet's. No, Jawon Pass won't be at UNC. But don't interpret Smith's silence as bad news. He's keeping everything close to the vest and doesn't really want to be a public personal through interviews and major exposure. UNC sources are optimistic that they can keep him although they know they'll have to fight.
Also, just because Alabama offers now doesn't mean that he will always be a 'take'. They recruit many of the nation's top prospects and eventually they fill up as spots run tight.
Charlton Warren has done an outstanding job of recruiting Oxon Hill (Md.) Potomac cornerback Gregory Ross. His stock is steadily climbing with several new offers in the last few weeks. The 6-foot prospect is lean but has nice skills and he's one of the Heels' top corner recruits. He recently tweeted that UNC is his favorite, followed by Wisconsin at number two and three others.
Speaking of UNC and Wisconsin, remember, we just posted that it's the Heels or Badgers right now for Cycoby Burch, of Florida. He says he'll visit both schools but we're more sure of the UNC summer trip. And Burch will commit, likely to one of those two, in May -- before seeing either place. That screams, "This isn't over when he announces," but he likes both schools a lot.
Safety Alexy Jean-Baptiste may still have the Heels at the top of his list and his near four-star ranking is impressive. As we've mentioned, he's the younger teammate of Jason Strowbridge and that relationship is meaningful for Jean-Baptiste.
So, as you see, that's several defensive backs -- not to mention the recently offered Mark Gilbert -- that the Heels are sitting pretty with.
Schools have to put more defensive backs on the field than ever with the proliferation of the spread offense across college football, and increasingly secondary coaches want length and versatility for the different responsibilities that need to be filled in the defensive backfield.
More Developments
According to a recent report here on Rivals.com four-star Rivals250 offensive guard Julian Santos plans to visit North Carolina and Ole Miss this summer.
Of course, as we've said and has been posted elsewhere, UNC could gain a commitment from Virginia offensive lineman Jay Jay McCargo this weekend. The Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell tackle is the No. 30 player at his position nationally and has an extremely impressive offer list.
The circumstances of McCargo's trip will be interesting. He's uncommitted but will be returning to UNC. He's been there multiple times. Meanwhile, recent commitment Tyler Pritchett has never been to the school, although he's pledged to the program -- and he'll be there, too. I'm sure the coaches will be hoping the two hit it off right away. That would help get McCargo to shut down the process and it would help ensure Pritchett is firm throughout the process.
Several In-State Notes
Optimism still seems to be there when it comes to five-star prospects Dexter Lawrence and Keion Joyner. I know an assistant coach from Clemson stopped by to see Lawrence earlier this week and coaches from around the country will be doing that as the evaluation period we're currently in drags on. It'd be wise not to ride the waves too much early, as there are bound to be twists and turns. Lawrence has been to UNC enough lately that it's safe to assume the Tar Heels will at least be on his short list.
Two players that are keeping an open ear to the Heels are front-seven pass rushers Jimmie Taylor and Zack Gilbert. I do not get the impression that UNC would be No. 1 on their lists. Taylor will likely visit in the near future while Gilbert may not visit until the summer or later, although he did seem to hint that officials to UNC and Pitt were likely. UNC is at least top eight for Gilbert and I think they'd make a top eight for Taylor if he had one.
Speaking of Taylor, he turned in a solid if unspectacular performance at the RCS: Charlotte, placing in the "Best of the Rest" category. Read that full write up here. Also of note in that: Robert Washington had an "up and down day," and he placed one spot ahead of Kennedy McKoy. Christian Colon was No. 21 in that category. It's not the kind of event that really showcases the kind of three-technique talent and project that Colon probably is.
Myles Dorn, Jonathan Smith and Pete Leota are three in-state players that UNC is, at the very least, top two in every case for. They may well lead for Dorn, a versatile athlete, and Leota, a versatile offensive lineman. And many believe Smith is leaning to UNC and Duke. Those are certainly the two schools recruiting him the hardest.
On the Garrett Walston front I wouldn't be shocked if he made a decision soon. Georgia really seems to have shaken things up with their recent offer, whereas before it looked like it was between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack. It was really a split decision between the two in-state rivals, but some believe Georgia may now have the upper hand. I can't confirm that, only passing it along.
Rivals Camp Series events in Richmond and Charlotte are in the bag and we got a ton of network exclusive content that has been rolled out here. Lately the analysts at those events have put out their lists of top performers and that's been huge. Coaches read those and it influences recruiting boards and football office recruiting activity.
Miscellaneous
Apparently defensive end Chidi Okonya may visit UNC later this spring or in the summer but Duke is probably his primary focus in the state right now. Tomon Fox and Michael Boykin are two Georgia defensive ends the Heels seem to be in good shape with.
2017 linebacker Justin Foster is a major target for the Heels and conventional thinking has UNC, Clemson and South Carolina out front. As he's noted, his sister attends Clemson, but he's probably most familiar with UNC.
And another in-state linebacker, '16's Xander Gagnon, recently attended a junior day with the Commodores and Vanderbilt offered him while he was there.
2017 elite quarterback Hunter Johnson probably favors Michigan, Notre Dame or Penn State, but he's been to UNC this spring and the Heels might be in that next tier that's still under consideration. And remember, Caleb Henderson was believed to be Big Ten-bound and UNC pulled that one out in what was a surprise to some.
P.S. I joked about a couple of people with this on Twitter, but the uniforms are indeed a big hit with recruits. That's the extent of my commentary on that!
Monster Defensive Back Class?
It's easy to settle into a comfortable group of prospects to follow but football recruiting is much more vast and uncomfortably complicated than that. Things can still change at the drop of a hat and new names are popping up or reemerging left and right.
Four-star cornerback Patrice Rene has been leaning towards an early decision but lately he's indicated that a decision could wait for a little while. He visited UNC recently and the Tar Heels are one of his favorites along with Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Duke and Rutgers. I'm a big fan of this guy's potential and you have to love his imposing size in the secondary.
Speaking of secondary targets, the Tar Heels are suddenly in a position to put together a monster class if the chips fall the right way. Javontay Smith, at the very least, has been 'validated.' Not that the UNC staff needed validation, but their Georgia commit has offers from LSU and Alabama. For anyone, that's huge. For a defensive back, that's as good a seal of approval as you can get.
There's been some consternation that Smith's slipping away but I haven't heard anything to indicate that. There are your Ronnie Harrisons, but there are your William Sweet's. No, Jawon Pass won't be at UNC. But don't interpret Smith's silence as bad news. He's keeping everything close to the vest and doesn't really want to be a public personal through interviews and major exposure. UNC sources are optimistic that they can keep him although they know they'll have to fight.
Also, just because Alabama offers now doesn't mean that he will always be a 'take'. They recruit many of the nation's top prospects and eventually they fill up as spots run tight.
Charlton Warren has done an outstanding job of recruiting Oxon Hill (Md.) Potomac cornerback Gregory Ross. His stock is steadily climbing with several new offers in the last few weeks. The 6-foot prospect is lean but has nice skills and he's one of the Heels' top corner recruits. He recently tweeted that UNC is his favorite, followed by Wisconsin at number two and three others.
Speaking of UNC and Wisconsin, remember, we just posted that it's the Heels or Badgers right now for Cycoby Burch, of Florida. He says he'll visit both schools but we're more sure of the UNC summer trip. And Burch will commit, likely to one of those two, in May -- before seeing either place. That screams, "This isn't over when he announces," but he likes both schools a lot.
Safety Alexy Jean-Baptiste may still have the Heels at the top of his list and his near four-star ranking is impressive. As we've mentioned, he's the younger teammate of Jason Strowbridge and that relationship is meaningful for Jean-Baptiste.
So, as you see, that's several defensive backs -- not to mention the recently offered Mark Gilbert -- that the Heels are sitting pretty with.
Schools have to put more defensive backs on the field than ever with the proliferation of the spread offense across college football, and increasingly secondary coaches want length and versatility for the different responsibilities that need to be filled in the defensive backfield.
More Developments
According to a recent report here on Rivals.com four-star Rivals250 offensive guard Julian Santos plans to visit North Carolina and Ole Miss this summer.
Of course, as we've said and has been posted elsewhere, UNC could gain a commitment from Virginia offensive lineman Jay Jay McCargo this weekend. The Arlington (Va.) Bishop O'Connell tackle is the No. 30 player at his position nationally and has an extremely impressive offer list.
The circumstances of McCargo's trip will be interesting. He's uncommitted but will be returning to UNC. He's been there multiple times. Meanwhile, recent commitment Tyler Pritchett has never been to the school, although he's pledged to the program -- and he'll be there, too. I'm sure the coaches will be hoping the two hit it off right away. That would help get McCargo to shut down the process and it would help ensure Pritchett is firm throughout the process.
Several In-State Notes
Optimism still seems to be there when it comes to five-star prospects Dexter Lawrence and Keion Joyner. I know an assistant coach from Clemson stopped by to see Lawrence earlier this week and coaches from around the country will be doing that as the evaluation period we're currently in drags on. It'd be wise not to ride the waves too much early, as there are bound to be twists and turns. Lawrence has been to UNC enough lately that it's safe to assume the Tar Heels will at least be on his short list.
Two players that are keeping an open ear to the Heels are front-seven pass rushers Jimmie Taylor and Zack Gilbert. I do not get the impression that UNC would be No. 1 on their lists. Taylor will likely visit in the near future while Gilbert may not visit until the summer or later, although he did seem to hint that officials to UNC and Pitt were likely. UNC is at least top eight for Gilbert and I think they'd make a top eight for Taylor if he had one.
Speaking of Taylor, he turned in a solid if unspectacular performance at the RCS: Charlotte, placing in the "Best of the Rest" category. Read that full write up here. Also of note in that: Robert Washington had an "up and down day," and he placed one spot ahead of Kennedy McKoy. Christian Colon was No. 21 in that category. It's not the kind of event that really showcases the kind of three-technique talent and project that Colon probably is.
Myles Dorn, Jonathan Smith and Pete Leota are three in-state players that UNC is, at the very least, top two in every case for. They may well lead for Dorn, a versatile athlete, and Leota, a versatile offensive lineman. And many believe Smith is leaning to UNC and Duke. Those are certainly the two schools recruiting him the hardest.
On the Garrett Walston front I wouldn't be shocked if he made a decision soon. Georgia really seems to have shaken things up with their recent offer, whereas before it looked like it was between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack. It was really a split decision between the two in-state rivals, but some believe Georgia may now have the upper hand. I can't confirm that, only passing it along.
Rivals Camp Series events in Richmond and Charlotte are in the bag and we got a ton of network exclusive content that has been rolled out here. Lately the analysts at those events have put out their lists of top performers and that's been huge. Coaches read those and it influences recruiting boards and football office recruiting activity.
Miscellaneous
Apparently defensive end Chidi Okonya may visit UNC later this spring or in the summer but Duke is probably his primary focus in the state right now. Tomon Fox and Michael Boykin are two Georgia defensive ends the Heels seem to be in good shape with.
2017 linebacker Justin Foster is a major target for the Heels and conventional thinking has UNC, Clemson and South Carolina out front. As he's noted, his sister attends Clemson, but he's probably most familiar with UNC.
And another in-state linebacker, '16's Xander Gagnon, recently attended a junior day with the Commodores and Vanderbilt offered him while he was there.
2017 elite quarterback Hunter Johnson probably favors Michigan, Notre Dame or Penn State, but he's been to UNC this spring and the Heels might be in that next tier that's still under consideration. And remember, Caleb Henderson was believed to be Big Ten-bound and UNC pulled that one out in what was a surprise to some.
P.S. I joked about a couple of people with this on Twitter, but the uniforms are indeed a big hit with recruits. That's the extent of my commentary on that!
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