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UNC Football: Mack Brown, Tar Heels hoping to flip Alabama, USC and Virginia commits

By Zack Pearson

Aug 31, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown laughs on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 31, 2019; Charlotte, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Mack Brown laughs on the sidelines during the fourth quarter against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mack Brown and the UNC Football program are off to a great start for their 2022 recruiting class, landing 14 commitments so far. The Tar Heels class is ranked No. 13 overall and No. 3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But UNC isn’t done just yet.

The Tar Heels have their eyes on big prizes in five-star offensive tackle Zach Rice and four-star receiver Andre Greene Jr., both who have been on campus over the past few weeks. And they may not be the only targets left, either.

According to the Fayetteville Observer, Brown and his staff have their eyes on three prospects that are currently committed to other programs. The FayObserver cites sources from Rivals, 247Sports and On3 recruiting in the report stating that UNC has been in contact with defensive backs  Jaeden Gould, Jake Pope, and Athlete Will Hardy:

"Four-star USC cornerback commit Jaeden Gould, three-star Alabama safety commit Jake Pope and three-star Virginia athlete commit Will Hardy have all heard from head coach Mack Brown’s staff over the last month, according to recruiting experts  at Rivals, InsideCarolina and BamaInsider."

Interesting.

The Tar Heels do have a need at defensive back for the future as they haven’t been able to find much consistency outside of Tony Grimes. Storm Duck has barely played as he’s still recovering from an injury and  Ja’Qurious Conley  has found a new role back there.

Now, UNC making the rounds is one thing but actually flipping the recruits is another. Right now, it’s tough seeing them pry away a recruit like Pope from Alabama as well as athlete Hardy from Virginia. But there might be something there with USC’s commit in Gould.

With the program moving on from Clay Helton, it opens the door to other programs trying to swoop in and flip recruits. It has worked over the years including a pair of quarterbacks in Sam Howell (Florida State) and Drake Maye (Alabama). There’s a long ways to go between now and early signing day in December and this is something to monitor moving forward.

Next. WR Josh Downs earns another ACC honor. dark

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