4-star CB Tymir Brown commits to UNC

The coronavirus pandemic may have halted all recruiting activities around the country, but it can’t stop players from verbally committing. On Tuesday night, North Carolina football received another commitment for the class of 2021. Cornerback/athlete Tymir Brown verbally pledged his allegiance to the Heels. The announcement came via his Twitter.

The 6’0, 166-pound defensive back hails from Jacksonville High School in Jacksonville, NC, making this the ninth recruit from North Carolina for 2021. A three or four-star recruit depending on your service of choice, Browns’ commitment is another building block in a completely revamped defense under Mack Brown and Jay Bateman. His current rankings are listed below.

Rivals: Cornerback, 3-star, NR (national), #NR (position), #37 (state)
ESPN: Cornerback, 4-star, #154 (national), #13 (position), #10 (state)
247 Sports (organic): Athlete, 3-star, NR (national), #34 (position), #23 (state)
247 Sports (composite): Athlete, 3-Star, #369 (national, #32 (position), #21 (state)

The wide disparity isn’t wholly unusual at this stage, though it is encouraging to see yet another ESPN 300 recruit commit to the Heels. As always, rankings are fluid and it’s still early in the 2021 ranking process. Rivals and ESPN list him as a cornerback, while 247 Sports slots him as an athlete. Any updates that were due to take place this spring are presumably delayed until later in the summer or into next season.

According to Max Preps, a website that accumulates stats for high school athletes, Brown lined up primarily at quarterback as a junior, but they do not list any defensive stats. On the offensive side of the ball, he passed for 635 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. He added 716 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. Whatever position Brown ends up playing in college, it’s a safe bet that Mack Brown’s staff will put him in a position to best utilize his talents. Given that Jay Bateman was his primary recruiter, expect to see him on the defensive side.

Brown selected the Heels while holding offers from South Carolina, Wake Forest, N.C. State, and Duke. He is the 10th verbal commit for 2021, and the fifth dedicated commit on the defensive of the ball. Brown is also second member of the defensive backfield in the class, joining four-star safety Dontavius Nash. Nine of UNC’s recruits, including Brown, are from North Carolina, continuing Mack Brown’s efforts to lock down elite in-state talent.

According to ESPN’s rankings, UNC now owns commitments from five of North Carolina’s top 10 prospects. Brown is also the seventh recruit currently holding a ESPN 300 designation. That breaks the school record of six ESPN 300 recruits, set by last year’s class. That class was led by in-state defensive end Desmond Evans. Mack, in other words, is doing work.