UNC Football Recruiting: Countdown To National Signing Day Heels Class Rounding Out
By Matt Hamm
And another one comes to his senses and picks Carolina! Add Junior Gnonkonde to the list of recruits Larry Fedora and company have swiped away from an ACC foe. Gnonkonde a three star outside linebacker,was previously committed to Georgia Tech has switched to Carolina. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end from Lanier County High School, picked UNC over many other options. Aside from his prior commit to GT, Junior had offers from, South Carolina, Wake Forest, Central Florida, Syracuse and Louisiana Tech.
Tech loses its first commit from its 2012 class. Gnonkonde originally committed to the yellow jackets last February. The reason for his switch is currently being debated by both sides. According to Gnonkonde, GT coach Paul Johnson, informed him that his scholarship offer was being withdrawn, because his test score did not meet the schools standards. Johnson however disputes this claim. After he “hit the streets” Gnonkonde instantly became a hot recruit picking up offers from all over the country. It didn’t take him long to decide he wanted to live a Heel lifestyle!
At the end of the day, UNC lands a talented OLB to add to a nice class of players in Fedoras first recruiting season. Throw in the one-two punch the Heels gave Tech today, and it must hurt in yellow jacket country right now! In other recruiting news, UNC also locked up Nathan Staub a 3 star fullback. Kendrick Singleton a badly needed 3 star WR. Monte Taylor a 2 star TE, joins Terrance Knox as another solid addition to that group. The Heels are still waiting on a few known offers as we lead up to the big day on February 1st. Most notably, Davonte Neal listed as an athlete is a five star recruit still considering Carolina. Adding Neal this late in the game would be a huge coup for Fedora. Still as with every year, surprises await, we’ll keep you ready for national signing day, and bring you the final results when ink hits paper.
Let’s take a look at the updated recruiting board shall we
Commits (*new commit)
James Summers* QB: 4 star rating
Kainer Coker QB: 3 star rating by Rivals and Scout, 2 star by ESPN
Nathan Staub* FB: 3 star rating
Kendrick Davis WR: 3 star rating
Kendrick Singleton* WR: 3 star rating
Terrance Knox TE: 3 star rating
Monte Taylor* TE: 2 star rating
Jon Heck OT: 3 star rating
John Ferranto OT: 2 star rating Rivals, 3 star by Scout, NR by ESPN
Caleb Peterson OG: 3 star by Rivals and Scout, 4 star by ESPN
Nathan Staub Ath: 3 star rating
Damien Washington Ath: 3 star by Rivals and ESPN, 2 star by Scout
Jessie Rogers DE: 3 star rating
Justin Thomason DE: 3 star by Rivals and ESPN, 2 star by Scout
JJ Patterson DT: 4 star by ESPN and Rivals, 3 star by Scout
Shakeel Rashad OLB: 4 star by ESPN, 3 star by Rivals and Scout
Dan Mastromatteo OLB: 3 star rating
Phillip Williamson OLB: 3 star rating
Joseph Jackson OLB: 3 star rating
Junior Gnonkonde* OLB: 3 star rating
Malik Simmons CB: 3 star rating
Tyreese Jiles CB: 3 star rating (soft commit)
Clint Heaven S: 3 star rating
Offers
Brad Culp WR: 3 star rating
Quinshad Davis WR: 3 star by Scout/ESPN 4 star
Ian Thomas WR: 3 star rating
Davonte Neal ATH: 4 star rivals, scout, 5 star ESPN
Keep It Heel!
I’m impressed with what Larry Fedora has done with this recruiting class. What are your thoughts? Who do you hope to see still sign with Carolina on National Signing Day? Let us know in the comments section, don’t know how? Having trouble? We’ve got you covered right HERE