It’s become a familiar refrain, maybe, about UNC recruiting, and maybe that’s because it’s the way it should be: The football program continues to make moves because it has a ton of spots to fill, and the basketball program is playing the waiting game on the 2019 class. There’s stuff to talk about within both of those situations, so let’s get to it.
Football:
- As we covered yesterday, Auburn early enrollee Cam’Ron Kelly has decided to transfer to UNC. The four-star DB is a welcome addition to a team that lost two defensive backs in quick succession after K.J. Sails’ declaration of intent to transfer and C.J. Cotman’s medical retirement. It’s unclear at the moment whether he’ll play cornerback or safety.
- Before that, as Chad covered in his general update, UNC secured the commitment of Georgia 2020 offensive tackle Trey Zimmerman. Zimmerman is ranked as the 37th-best offensive tackle prospect in the country, and he’s certainly got the size for the part at 6’6 and almost 300 pounds.
- Four-star in-state wide receiver Mike Wyman, from Dudley High School in Greensboro, has set a commitment date of April 16. He’ll revisit both UNC and South Carolina between now and then, so it’s probably safe to say those are his finalists. The Gamecocks were perceived favorites for a while and his Crystal Ball on 247 reflects that, but nobody’s put in a prediction since late February, and a lot has changed, including UNC putting together a whale of a start to this class, since then.
- UNC’s got two four-star quarterbacks in next year’s class in its sights: Jacolby Criswell from Arkansas and Malik Hornsby from Texas. Criswell has already shown a lot of interest in UNC by showing up a couple of times, while Hornsby has recently scheduled an official visit after being offered comparatively recently. Hornsby cancelled a visit to Texas A&M to make room for UNC, following his close relationship with Tim Brewster.
UNC Football 2020 Commitments
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
Position Rank |
School |
Location |
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
Position Rank |
School |
Location |
Ethan West |
ILB |
6'4 |
225 |
4-Star |
11 |
Cosby |
Midlothian, VA |
Cameron Roseman-Sinclair |
DB |
6'0 |
183 |
4-Star |
16 |
Myers Park |
Charlotte, NC |
Ray Grier |
WR |
6'1 |
204 |
4-Star |
52 |
South Point |
Belmont, NC |
Josh Downs |
WR |
5'10 |
165 |
4-Star |
67 |
North Gwinnett |
Suwanee, GA |
Trey Zimmerman |
OT |
6'6 |
294 |
3-Star |
37 |
Roswell |
Roswell, GA |
Malik McGowan |
OG |
6'4 |
315 |
3-Star |
57 |
Charlotte Catholic |
Charlotte, NC |
LaMareon James |
CB |
5'10 |
170 |
3-Star |
78 |
Indian River |
Chesapeake, VA |
Elijah Burris |
RB |
5'10 |
201 |
3-Star |
93 |
Mountain Island Charter |
Mount Holly, NC |
Basketball
- Cole Anthony is playing with us. This isn’t said out of desperation (mostly); it’s just that there are few other ways to describe his actions lately. He’s changed around his announcement date from originally “late April” to “early April” to “April 20th” and now the sense is that it’ll be sometime around, but not necessarily on, the 20th. He also went ahead and released a “Final Four” (it’s a pun) when his Top 5 was already public, eliminating Wake Forest and leaving UNC, Oregon, Notre Dame, and Georgetown. Corey Evans, Rivals’ National Basketball Analyst, has added his name to the list of experts who expect Anthony to pick UNC, saying here that it would be “a giant shock” if he didn’t.
- Evans says in the above-linked article that UNC is in better shape with Matthew Hurt than many are assuming. Even still, it’s hard not to gather that UNC is running 3rd behind Kansas and Duke. He’s announced a decision date of April 19th, so we’ll see how that goes.
- The last 2019 recruit still in play, Precious Achiuwa, is hard to get a bead on either way. It’s comparatively early in his recruitment; he’s still taking his visits and stuff.
- Finally, UNC is on the grad transfer market for next year as well. We’ve talked previously about Charlotte native Rayjon Tucker and possible mutual interest, and that buzz has only strengthened. Some unverified accounts are claiming it’s close to a done deal, but it’s worth noting there isn’t even a confirmed offer for him and Tucker has scheduled an official visit to West Virginia. Something in UNC’s favor, though: Tucker’s AAU coach was former Tar Heel Jeff McInnis.
UNC Basketball 2019 Offers
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Rank |
School |
Location |
Visit |
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Rank |
School |
Location |
Visit |
Cole Anthony |
CG |
6'3 |
184 |
5 Star |
4 |
Oak Hill Academy |
Mouth of Wilson, VA |
OV taken |
Matthew Hurt |
PF |
6'9 |
215 |
5 Star |
8 |
John Marhsall Senior |
Rochester, MN |
OV taken |
Precious Achiuwa |
SF |
6'9 |
190 |
5-Star |
13 |
Montverde Academy (FL) |
Bronx, NY (hometown) |
OV taken |
UNC Basketball 2019 Commitments
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Rank |
School |
Location |
Status |
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Rank |
School |
Location |
Status |
Armando Bacot |
C |
6’10 |
240 |
5 Star |
20 |
IMG Academy |
Bradenton, FL |
Signed |
Jeremiah Francis |
PG |
6’3 |
190 |
3 Star |
131 |
Pickerington Central |
Pickerington, OH |
Signed |
UNC Basketball 2020 Offers
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Ranking |
School |
Location |
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Ranking |
School |
Location |
Greg Brown III |
PF |
6'7 |
185 |
Five Star |
6 |
Vandegrift |
Austin, TX |
Isaiah Todd |
PF |
6'10 |
195 |
Five Star |
13 |
Trinity Academy |
Raleigh, NC |
Walker Kessler |
C |
6'10 |
225 |
Five Star |
16 |
Woodward Academy |
Atlanta, GA |
Jeremy Roach |
PG |
6'2 |
165 |
Five Star |
17 |
Paul VI Catholic |
Fairfax, VA |
Ziaire Williams |
SF |
6'7 |
175 |
Five Star |
20 |
Notre Dame |
Sherman Oaks, CA |
UNC Basketball 2020 Commitments
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Ranking |
School |
Location |
Name |
Position |
Height |
Weight |
Rating |
National Ranking |
School |
Location |
Day'Ron Sharpe |
C |
6'10 |
246 |
4-Star |
26 |
South Central |
Winterville, NC |