UNC football National Signing Day: 4-star DE Jake Lawler enrolls early

On the eve of National Signing Day, the Tar Heels have already brought in several players as early enrollees into the football program. One such player is four-star defensive end Jake Lawler.

Lawler initially committed to Chapel Hill all the way back in January of 2016. The Charlotte, North Carolina native had offers from many programs across the country, including Georgia, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. He also received a lot of attention from many ACC programs, including Duke, Louisville, Pitt, NC State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Clemson before choosing UNC.

The six-foot-three, 225-pound defensive end is ranked as the no. 174 talent in this year’s class, according to the national composite, and is the fourth-ranked player from North Carolina. He was rated as the 12th-best weak side defensive end, but there is belief that he could end up playing strong side on campus.

With Mikey Bart graduating, senior Dajaun Drennon, junior Malik Carney, and sophomore Tomon Fox will be the team’s primary defensive ends. Despite this, Lawler could end up playing an integral role in replacing Bart on the team’s defensive line.