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UNC Football: Tar Heels add to 2019 recruiting class

By Brandon Griffin

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team during their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Kenan Stadium on November 25, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina State won 28-21. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Larry Fedora of the North Carolina Tar Heels directs his team during their game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Kenan Stadium on November 25, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina State won 28-21. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Tar Heels added their third recruit to their 2019 football class in Allen Smith. What does the outside linebacker bring to the Tar Heels defense?

Football is in the air.

Sure, the games are still months away, but that doesn’t mean that awesome things aren’t happening for the gridiron Tar Heels.

UNC got some good news over the weekend as it added its third recruit for the upcoming 2019 class. The Tar Heels’ newest commit, linebacker Allen Smith, chose the Tar Heels over Louisville, Nebraska, Oregon, and Penn State.

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The 6-foot-3 outside linebacker from Georgia is considered a three-star prospect according to 247sports. He will join the other two members of the Tar Heels’ class, Jayden Curry and Coleman Reich, who both play on the defensive side of the ball.

Though Larry Fedora has struggled to recruit the state of North Carolina, he has had success in other states. That includes Georgia, where he brought in five recruits last season and four the season before that.

Smith will add depth to the side of the ball that the Tar Heels have struggled the most on since Fedora arrived. Last season, North Carolina ranked 103rd overall in total yards per game and 112th in rushing yards per game, where Smith should be an added asset to the team.

Last season at Mountain View in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Smith had 41 tackles, two deflected passes and a fumble recovery.

The Georgia linebacker is the third outside linebacker to pick the Tar Heels in the past two seasons, joining incoming freshmen Matthew Flint and Kyle Wright. The trio should help a Tar Heel pass rush that accumulated only 23 sacks last season, tied for 79th in the nation.

The Tar Heels are looking at several other players from the state of Georgia, including the top ranked outside linebacker Owen Pappoe. Pappoe and Smith will be teammates this upcoming season as Smith is transferring to Pappoe’s high school for his senior season.

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With a player like Smith already in tow, Pappoe may be the first of many Georgia recruits picking the Tar Heels and helping to establish their presence in the Peach State.

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