UNC Football: Tar Heels named finalist for nation’s top cornerback

Mack Brown and the UNC football program are trying to add to their incredible 2021 recruiting haul with a commitment from the nation’s top cornerback.

Already tied with Ohio State for the most committed 4-star prospects in the nation for the class of 2021, the North Carolina Tar Heels continue to build on one of their best recruiting hauls in program history. In just his second season back in Chapel Hill, UNC head coach Mack Brown has absolutely dominated recruiting in his home state, reeling in 11 of North Carolina’s top 40 high school football prospects.

Brown and company already have 10 commitments from 4-star recruits in the 2021 class, and that number is almost guaranteed to grow as we move closer to the start of next season. They’ve got dozens of scholarship offers extended to three, four and 5-star players in the class, and appear to be in pretty good position with a number of them.

One of the most coveted prospects on their recruiting board, and in the nation, is 5-star cornerback Tony Grimes. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Virginia Beach native named the Tar Heels among a list of eight finalists on Wednesday night. Joining North Carolina on Grimes’ top-8 list is Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Virginia.

https://twitter.com/757EliteDB/status/1248038309072429057

Grimes had a recruiting trip to Chapel Hill that was scheduled prior to the NCAA’s recruiting suspension amid the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. That visit was obviously postponed indefinitely, but it doesn’t appear to have hurt the Tar Heels’ chances much, given their inclusion in his most recent list, and the kind words he had to say about UNC and its coaching staff.

"“(Assistant) coach Dre Bly and coach Mack Brown, they have something crazy going on down there with their program,” Grimes told 247Sports. “And coach Dre Bly, a Hall of Fame Pro Bowler, Super Bowler, c’mon now, it doesn’t get any better than that as a coach but we are going to see what they do this year.”"

Current projections from recruiting experts and analysts on 247Sports have Georgia leading the way in Grimes’ recruitment, but it’s extremely fluid right now, and anything could happen.

Grimes, who had more than 40 scholarship offers at the time he cut down his list, is the No. 7 prospect in the class of 2021 according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the No. 1 player at his position, and tops in the state of Virginia.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on the Tar Heels’ pursuit of Tony Grimes, and everything UNC football.