UNC Football: 4-star WR Tychaun Chapman commits to Tar Heels

The ink is barely dry on UNC’s 18 recruits for 2021, but the UNC football recruiting train doesn’t stop. In case you missed it, here are our quick breakdowns for the nine players on offense and nine players on defense. On Saturday afternoon, wide receiver Tychaun Chapman committed to North Carolina. He is the Heels’ first commitment for the 2022 class, whose recruiting timelines have been considerably altered due to COVID.

A four-star recruit, Chapman is considered one of the best players in Virginia and one of the best wide receivers in the nation. Without a junior season or many summer camps for evaluation, stats and rankings are largely irrelevant at this juncture, but there is little disagreement about Chapman’s talent. Here are his current rankings.

Rivals: APB, 3-star, NR (national), #8 (position), #14 (state)
ESPN: WR, 3-star, #53 (national), #11 (position), #3 (state)
247 Sports (organic): WR, 4-star, #143 (national), #20 (position), #4 (state)
247 Sports (composite): WR, 4-star, #163 (national), #20 (position), #7 (state)

Standing at 5-10, 170 pounds he’s listed as both an all-purpose back and wide receiver. Longo’s system hasn’t shown an affinity for a Swiss Army Knife in the backfield like Larry Fedora used Ryan Switzer, T.J. Logan or even Dazz Newsome. That could change, and Chapman may possess those abilities, but he currently projects to line up in the slot slot in a manner similar to how Longo has used Newsome. The UNC offensive coordinator prefers to have at least 12 receivers on the roster at point in time and this commitment continues that trend.

Brian Dohn, of 247 Sports, provides the following analysis from way back in February, backing up that assertion:

Ideal frame and skill set to play in slot. Elite athleticism with high-level quickness and speed. Runs 55 meters in 6.4s. Elusive in tight spaces. Gets off line in a flash and is tough to jam. Smooth into and out of breaks and creates separation. Tracks balls well and does not let passes get into his body. Strong hands. Stretches defenses so is effective on underneath routes. Effective on jet sweeps. Has to add strength to deal with jams and physical defensive backs. Has to be more physical at the top of routes. Sometimes dances looking for big play rather than getting positive yards. Multi-year starter at Top 20 program. Day 3 NFL draft potential.

Playing his high school ball at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, VA, Chapman comes from the same program as current Tar Heel defensive back and former five-star recruit, Tony Grimes. Obviously not an in-state recruit, Chapman is just the most recent addition from the Tidewater region in southeast Virginia. It’s a region that Mack Brown’s staff has quickly reestablished a presence after almost a decade in purgatory. We touched on the importance of that area after Grimes committed.

After only receiving two recruits from the 757 from 2011-2019 (Travis Hughes and Dazz Newsome), UNC has received three commitments in the last six months. Grimes’ commitment was followed by defensive end Trevion Stevenson in September. North Carolina’s high school talent for 2022 isn’t as deep as 2021’s, so don’t be surprised if UNC expands that footprint in Virginia.