UNC Football: Ohio State transfer Lejond Cavazos commits to UNC

Yesterday, Mack Brown sealed another transfer commitment from Ohio State redshirt sophomore defensive back Lejond Cavazos. Cavazos appeared in only one game during his true freshman season, so he has three seasons of eligibility at UNC.

Originally from San Antonio, TX, Cavazos should already be familiar to those who follow Armando Bacot on social media.

Bacot and Cavazos were friends at IMG Academy in Florida, and Bacot has been heavily recruiting the 6’0” 192 pound defender. Dre Bly will be pleased to see him, as he needs to raise the talent ceiling (and floor) in the Rude Boyz meeting room.

Juniors Tony Grimes and Storm Duck appear to be the only nailed-in starters in the secondary. The third stand-out, safety/nickelback Ja’Qurious Conley, is still recovering from a torn ACL and may not be ready by the season opener.

Seniors Don Chapman, Cam Kelly, and Obi Egbuna return, and I’ll be curious to see how much redshirt freshman Donte Balfour has come along, but there won’t be too much standing in Cavazos’s way if he hits the ground running.

The defense looks to improve with new coordinator Gene Chizik, who has promised a simplified scheme that will allow UNC’s athletes to make plays. Whatever he does, he simply cannot allow this sort of stuff to happen ever again:

I’m still dumbfounded by that.

Anyhow. Lejond Cavazos appears to be a solid tackler. He doesn’t lay wood, but he wraps up, so he should help limit those 10-15 catches to 10-15 yard gains, instead of the 40-50 yard backbreakers they were at times last season.

In his redshirt freshman season in Columbus, Cavazos appeared in 11 games for the Buckeyes, recording eight tackles (six solo) and two passes defensed. He will arrive in Chapel Hill this summer.

Mack Brown and his staff have done a great job getting help at positions of need in the transfer portal. Cavazos is Carolina’s fourth transfer commitment this offseason, joining center Corey Gaynor (Miami), defensive end Noah Taylor (Virginia), and offensive lineman Spencer Rolland (Harvard).