UNC Football: Tar Heels sign 2021 recruiting class

UNC football program signs 13th-ranked 2021 recruiting class

Wednesday morning marked the beginning of college football’s Early Signing Period, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are making the final touches on their 2021 recruiting class — one that ranked 13th in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite.

It’s just Mack Brown’s second season back on the sideline, but already his second top-15 class nationally. His Tar Heels have also finished the recruiting cycle in the top-three of the Atlantic Coast Conference on both occasions. He’s signed a 5-star prospect in each of his first two classes, along with multiple 4-star recruits — nine in 2020 and 10 in 2021.

This year’s class is highlighted by 5-star defensive end Keeshawn Silver, and 4-star pro-style quarterback Drake Maye. Both join the Tar Heels as one of the most highly-touted players at their respective positions, and both should have a major impact on the Tar Heels in the seasons ahead. They’ve also got commitments from a dozen other players in the top 500 of the 247Sports rankings. The full list of 2021 UNC commits is listed below.

5-star DE Keeshawn Silver
4-star QB Drake Maye
4-star OLB Ra Ra Dillworth
4-star ILB Power Nichols
4-star ATH DeAndre Boykins
4-star ATH Gabe Stephens
4-star RB Kamarro Edmonds
4-star OT Eli Sutton
4-star S Dontavius Nash
4-star TE Bryson Nesbit
3-star WR Kobe Paysour
3-star OT Diego Pounds
3-star ATH Tymir Brown
3-star DE Trevion Stevenson
4-star DE Jahvaree Ritzie
4-star WR Gavin Blackwell
3-star WR J.J. Jones
3-star ATH Caleb Hood

Mack Brown and the North Carolina coaching staff have a really solid recruiting class joining a North Carolina team that is likely to appear in the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 2. If they can continue their current success on the field and the recruiting model we’ve seen over the past couple of seasons, the future will be bright for the UNC football program.