Is it UNC football vs. Virginia for 5-star Zach Rice?!

Could UNC football be batting an ACC rival in a two-team race for this five-star recruit?!

Zach Rice is undoubtedly one of the most highly-coveted offensive linemen in the Class of 2022. Although there are still technically five schools in the mix, is it possible that this recruitment has become a three-team race?

Based on recent speculation, it appears that the UNC football program is battling with Virginia and Ohio State in regards to earning a commitment from Rice.

Bill Kurelic of 247 Sports recently put together a “If I had to predict right now” in which he gave his predictions for some of the country’s top recruits from the Class of 2022 and 2023. Here’s what Kurelic had to say in regards to Rice:

"If I had to predict right now…. I would go with the field versus Ohio State and more specifically I would probably go with North Carolina or Virginia,.But….. It’s still very hard to predict what Rice is going to do and Ohio State is one of his finalists."

With no Crystal Ball predictions placed, it’s hard to tell if any of these programs currently have an upper-hand. The rising senior made visits to each of his top 5 schools back in June, but it seems as if his recruiting process has slowed down a bit over the remainder of the summer months.

Even though there hasn’t been much reported action on Rice’s end, the Tar Heels haven’t slowed down their pursuit of the No. 1 rated offensive tackle in his class. Recent North Carolina commit Travis Shaw has been active on social media, as he attempts to persuade Rice, along with some other top players in the country, to join him in Chapel Hill.

If Kurelic’s prediction is correct, the UNC football program will not only have to hold off Virginia, but will also have to convince Rice to choose Chapel Hill over Columbus. In this three-team mix, it may come down to the two ACC schools competing not only against each other, but against a rather notable Big10 program as well.

As his recruitment heats up over the next couple of months, it will be very interesting to see if Mack Brown and company can lure yet another top talent to the UNC football program. This type of commitment would be another huge statement made by the Tar Heels in their overall recruiting process.

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates regarding the UNC football program.