Football

Football recruiting had a big weekend with many prospects coming to see the team play against Louisville on Saturday. Last week’s busy Week 2 has been met with a slow Week 3, though some newsworthy stuff has still taken place.

Most important was three-star running back recruit Cole Beck announcing his final three choices before he officially commits. North Carolina, Virginia, and Pitt made his list. The Blacksburg, Virginia native is the no. 15 all-purpose back in the class of 2018, and he also ranks 15th in the state.

In other news, the Tar Heels have looked longterm with offers extended to two prospects from the 2020 recruiting class. Running back Demarkcus Bowman and athlete Fenley Graham are teammates from Lakeland High School in Florida.

Basketball

Roy Williams, meanwhile, has remained busy in the offseason. This past week was big in regards to in-home visits. The coach saw four-star 2019 shooting guard Josh Nickelberry in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. He also traveled to Northfield, Massachusetts and met with four-star 2018 power forward Nate Laszewski, who has an official visit with UNC on September 23.

On Tuesday, Williams met with five-star 2018 power forward Simi Shittu at his home in Saxtons River, Vermont. He released a top 10 list last month that included North Carolina among his finalists. This home visit could be one of the school’s last best hopes to keep them in his top 5 list expected out next month.

There are two other important home visits coming in the next few days. Williams will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Sunday, September 17 to see five-star 2018 small forward Zion Williamson. This visit could prove to be crucial in locking up an official visit from one of the best players in the country.

The next day, Williams will head to Rochester, Minnesota for a visit with five-star 2019 small forward Matthew Hurt on September 18.