UNC Football: Tar Heels gain commitment from wide receiver Paul Billups

The UNC Football program picked up its third wide receiver commit in the class of 2023 – Chesapeake, Virginia’s Paul Billups.

Paul Billups has committed to North Carolina over Michigan State and Virginia Tech. The Class of 2023 prospect announced his decision on Wednesday afternoon during a press conference in his high school cafeteria.

Head Coach Mack Brown and the Tar Heels have once again gone into Virginia, Chesapeake this time, and brought a young man south to Chapel Hill. The Western Branch High School (also the alma mater of current UNC football assistant coach Dre Bly) wide receiver comes in at 6-foot-2,185 pounds.

Coming on the heels of wide receiver Kevin Concepcion choosing NC State over North Carolina, this is especially welcome news for the UNC football program. The Tar Heels already have two wide receiver commits in the ‘Jordan Class,’ Chris Culliver and Christian Hamilton, but adding another player to the mix is definitely a win.

Most recently, North Carolina had three wide receiver commits in the class of 2021 – Gavin Blackwell, JJ Jones, and Kobe Paysour. Following Monday’s depth chart release, we know that both Blackwell and Jones will start alongside Josh Downs, while Kobe Paysour is part of the Blue Team who can come in at any time interchangeably with the starters.

For some time, the expectation has been that Billups would choose the Tar Heels, but nothing is certain until the words come out of a commit’s mouth (and even then, you hold your breath until the fax comes in on signing day).

What is North Carolina Getting in Billups?

Sports Illustrated’s Director of Football Recruiting, John Garcia, Jr., recently joined an episode of Locked On Tar Heels and said of Billups:

"“He’s a smooth, fast wide receiver. This is a very fun prospect to watch. With Billups, you’re getting a lot of raw torque. There are some subtle movement skills he has that really help him to excel in the open field. That’s why he’s a great kick returner and punt returner.”"

Remind you of any current Tar Heels? Josh Downs currently returns punts in addition to his work as one of the best receivers in the country.

"“He’s one of these receivers that you can throw a screen to and let him go to work thereafter.” Garcia continued. “The body control, the instincts are really off the charts.”"

This trait, too, has Downs written all over it.

Billups, of course, is not a fully-formed receiver yet. Garcia said that he “has some room to grow to round out his game,” but that, “even though he’s got room to grow physically and grow technically in his game, I like his floor and foundation.”

The bottom line for the Tar Heels is that they want and need to continue bringing in capable talent to continue building the depth that Coach Brown has been preaching. As for Billups’ ability to fit into the culture in Chapel Hill, Garcia says, “He’s another guy that absolutely fits what we have already seen from that North Carolina perspective. There’s a lot to like about the big play ability of Mr. Billups.”

Hear more of Garcia’s comments about Billups on this Locked On Tar Heels clip:

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