UNC Football: Tar Heels land big-time Texas QB Malik Hornsby

Carolina has its quarterback for the class of 2020, and boy howdy did they get a good one.

Malik Hornsby, the nation’s 5th-ranked dual-threat quarterback, announced his commitment to North Carolina with a tweet this evening.

Hornsby is the nation’s 136th-ranked player overall on the composite (83rd, and the 4th-best dual threat QB per 247Sports), making him the highest-rated commitment currently on Carolina’s board. The Missouri City, TX native is a true dual-threat, as his Hudl film will attest. The guy is going to be a joy to watch in Carolina blue.

(That’s his sophomore and junior season highlights, respectively)

Hornsby was long considered a Texas A&M lean, as Jimbo Fisher’s promise of a pro-style offense was certainly appealing. However, given the NFL’s adoption of more of a college-style approach (see: Murray, Kyler & Kingsbury, Kliff), and the move of his primary recruiter, Tim Brewster, back to Chapel Hill, the Heels emerged as a leader late in his recruitment.

As a quarterback, the standout trait of the 6’2, 175 pound Hornsby is his world-class athleticism. He runs a 10.5-second 100-meter dash, a sub-4.6 40, and it shows on the field. His film is full of making Texas high school football players look silly. He also demonstrates a quick, repeatable release from the pocket, and is very accurate and decisive hitting open receivers.

With three freshman QB’s currently on the roster, Hornsby will have a chance to develop slowly— which is a scary proposition. He definitely needs to add some muscle to absorb the hits to which he exposes himself, and he is a little quick to bail on the pocket and allow his athleticism to take over. Behind a paywall, Texas talent evaluators compare him to a smaller Vince Young.

Yeah, I’ll take that.

Hornsby is, without question, the most physically gifted quarterback the University of North Carolina has recruited since Ronald Curry. He’s going to be a joy to watch, and we’re going to have the privilege of watching him in Carolina Blue.

The Heels now have the nation’s 9th-ranked recruiting class per 247, again jumping past Penn State. With a talent like Hornsby on board, some more high-end talent may start looking at Carolina a little bit harder.

P.S.— he also has my favorite “Carolina athlete parent” to come through in a long time. If you want to do some research, her reaction to the family’s visit to Chapel Hill for the Spring Game is priceless.