UNC Football: Tar Heels picking up momentum for 5-star recruit?

The UNC Football program appears to be picking up some momentum for a five-star recruit in the 2021 class but will have to battle these programs to land him

Mack Brown and his staff are off to an awesome start in the 2021 football recruiting class, landing 11 commitments so far.

They managed to flip quarterback Drake Maye away from Alabama and a string of commitment followed shortly after that earlier this month. But recently, North Carolina lost out on two running back targets as Evan Pryor and TreVeyon Henderson both committed to Ohio State.

However, that may have opened the door for another five-star running back in the 2021 class and UNC appears to be picking up some momentum.

Rivals recruiting analyst Adam Friedman broke down the domino that was Henderson’s commitment to Ohio State during this odd “quiet” period. In doing so, he mentioned something interesting about Brown and his team’s chances at landing Shipley now.

Here is what he wrote:

"Mack Brown and his staff felt like they were picking up some momentum with Henderson just a couple weeks ago but now that he is off the market the Tar Heels can turn more of their attention to Shipley, the top-ranked back in North Carolina and the No. 1 all-purpose back in the Rivals250. North Carolina has already taken a commitment from all-purpose back DeAndre Boykins but his positional versatility gives the Tar Heels some flexibility. Notre Dame and Clemson have been considered the top two for Shipley but the Tar Heels have been quietly picking up steam with the NC State legacy. Current North Carolina commits Drake Maye and Gavin Blackwell have Shipley’s ear and they are making some progress."

As you see above, Friedman notes that while Notre Dame and Clemson may be Shipley’s top teams to beat, the Tar Heels are indeed picking up some momentum. That’s key right now in this quiet period as UNC would love to stay in the race and pull it off by landing a commitment from Shipley.

The Matthew, North Carolina native is ranked as No. 20 overall prospect in the 2021 class and the No. 1 all-purpose back and No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina. Landing him would give UNC their highest-rated recruit in that 2021 class and certainly keep their rating inside the Top 5.

There is a long way to go in Shipley’s recruitment but this certainly good news.

For more on the UNC Football program and recruiting, please check back with Keeping It Heel.