UNC Recruiting: UNC Stimulus Package
What’s up Tar Heel Nation!? Another week of Tar Heel sports means another week of recruiting and I am going to give you the scoop. This week was National Signing Day. The Tar Heels signed 17 young men who are ready to be the new face of a rising program. Not much happened in basketball but a few recruits did speak out.
Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
First off newly committed Tar Heel Joel Berry recently spoke out on recruits he wanted to see with him in Carolina blue. The three names Joel said have been offered by the Tar Heels, including Justise Winslow, Justin Jackson, and Jahlil Okafor. While this is not definite these are three players he wouldn’t mind passing the ball to. Okafor would be a huge asset in the paint as he is the number one center in his class. Winslow and Jackson are the two small forwards who were offered by Roy in this class. Winslow is more explosive and athletic than Jackson but Justin’s game is overall a lot smoother. The duo has mentioned playing together as a package deal, which could work with Jackson possibly playing the power forward with his height. He is listed at 6’8 on some sites. Next for basketball, the number one power forward in the class of 2014 Trey Lyles is targeting a visit UNC in the spring. Lyles has a very high basketball IQ and is very explosive and versatile. Lyles was a commit for Indiana but he opened his recruitment up last August. Lyles is yet to receive an offer and his visit will more than likely be unofficial. Also in basketball, we are another day closer to see what really is going on in Andrew Wiggins head. Look for him to set an official visit date soon.
The main event for the past week was National Signing Day on February 6th. The Tar Heels had 17 young men who faxed their letters of intent in to Larry Fedora’s coaching staff. With the shortage of scholarships for this year and the next, Fedora said that the margin of error is slim and him and his staff had to pick the guys they thought would be the best fit. The main position that needed to be filled was the defensive line where there was a mass exodus led by Sylvester Williams. On the defensive line the headline recruit was Army All-American Greg Webb. Greg had a torn ACL the majority of his senior season which hurt his stock a little bit but his strength and size is too good to pass up. The most underrated prospect on the line in my opinion is Marquis Haynes, he was committed to Louisville before attending camp but quickly switched his commitment soon afterwards. Marquis’ size will allow him to either play the defensive end position or Coach Fedora’s “bandit” position. Also his athleticism is off the charts. Marquis participated in a dunk contest in his high school and is able to dunk it any way he wants too. Lastly, Secondary Recruits Donnie Miles, Brian Walker, and Desmond Lawrence all who had lots of offers stayed in state and have potential to make an immediate impact early in their careers.
On the offensive side of the ball TJ Logan is considered the best player in the state of North Carolina by the coaching staff. With 47 touchdowns and over 3000 yards his senior season it is easy to see why. Logan also only played in two fourth quarters the entire season. Like Romar Morris and AJ Blue switching off in the backfield look for Logan and fellow recruit Khris Francis to switch off later in their careers. Unlike Logan, Khris Francis is a thicker body who can run in between the tackles and take hits rather than Logan who uses his speed to break to the outside. My favorite player on the offense who is coming in is wide receiver Johnathan Howard is an exact clone of Qunishad Davis who Fedora says is smaller than Howard when standing side by side. Coach Fedora says look for Howard to play opposite of Quinshad some parts during the season. Lastly, quarterback Mitch Trubisky who enrolled early has a chance to be the immediate back up behind Bryn Renner. With Marquis Williams not returning (supposedly) till the summer Trubisky will have a chance to battle it out with another Fedora recruit Kanler Coker to be the back up. Mitch Trubisky is said to have many Johnny Manziel comparisons and his highlights show it. If he lives up to the hype, the team will be his his junior year at the latest. Here is a list of the commits for the class.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/school/_/id/153/class/2013
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