UNC Football: Tar Heels land four-star linebacker

The UNC Football program is ending the month of July with a big commitment for their 2022 recruiting class.

On Wednesday, Mack Brown and his staff landed another verbal commitment for 2022 as four-star linebacker Sebastian Cheeks officially made his decision. Cheeks put on the UNC hat, picking the Tar Heels over Michigan, Texas, Oregon, and Wisconsin.

The Evanston, Illinois native is a four-star prospect that is quickly rising in the class. He’s made a trip out to Chapel Hill and established relationships with the staff and the program. It was good enough to convince the linebacker to commit to the Tar Heels and he is now the 12th player to commit to North Carolina in the 2022 class.

Prior to his commitment, Cheeks did take a trip to Michigan a school close to his family and some thought it may have hinted his plans before the decision. But UNC won out in the end with Tommy Thigpen leading the way in the recruitment.

Cheeks is ranked No. 131 overall, the No. 15 inside linebacker and the No. 4 player in the state of Illinois per the 247Sports rankings. He’s now the highest-rated recruit in UNC’s 2022 class, overtaking running back Omarion Hampton who also just recently committed. 

UNC’s class is now ranked No. 17 in the 247Sports composite rankings and features just three in-state prospects. That’s unusual as Brown and his staff have put an emphasis on landing in-state talent. But it’s also not the worst thing either as it shows that UNC can branch out and take advantage of pipelines in other states.

For more on Cheeks and other UNC Football recruits, please check back with Keeping It Heel.