Yes, we are living in a world where North Carolina is further solidifying a Top-Five recruiting class in football. Not hoops. IN FOOTBALL.
As a backdrop, from our March 19 post:[F]our-star 2021 prospect Drake Maye, the No. 6 pro-style quarterback in the country, committed to North Carolina football. Maye had been committed to Alabama since July of last year. Over the next two days, the Tar Heels received a pair of verbals from two other 2021 four-stars — wide receiver Kobe Paysour and offensive tackle Eli Sutton.
While North Carolina football was quiet on the recruiting front for the next week and a half or so — and Ohio State wasn’t — the Tar Heels made some noise again as DeAndre Boykins verballed to the ACC school Wednesday night.
In confirming his commitment, the defensive back praised the 68-year-old North Carolina football head coach.
“He’s just a great coach first of all and he’s a great person,” Boykins said of Brown. “He cares about you and your family. And you can see it, it shows. I felt at home when I was there. I felt that all the coaches wanted me.
Fast-forward to April 3. On that day, Kamarro Edmonds gave a verbal commitment to North Carolina football. Edmonds committed to UNC over offers from, among others, Louisville, LSU, Missouri, NC State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
The four-star running back announced his decision via Twitter.
— Kamarro (Killa Kam) Edmonds (@KamEdmonds2021) April 3, 2020
With Bryant’s verbal, North Carolina football now has commitments from 12 2021 recruits. Of those, 10 are four-star prospects. That’s tied with Ohio State for the most in this cycle.
Of those 12 Tar Heels commitments, 11 of them played their high school football in the state of North Carolina.
For the 2020 cycle, head coach Mack Brown landed nine four-star recruits. That gives him 19 (and counting) in less than two full cycles as the North Carolina football head coach. In the five cycles prior to Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, the program had signed 21 four-star recruits. Combined.
Currently, the Tar Heels can claim the third-ranked class in the country. Ohio State (No. 1) and Clemson (No. 2) are the only schools ahead of UNC at the moment.
This century, North Carolina has never had a Top-Five recruiting class. Their highest-ranked class in that span was 10th in 2007, the first year under Butch Davis. The Tar Heels have had five other classes that were Top 20 — 2020 (19th), 2018 (20th), 2011 (18th), 2009 (12th) and 2003 (18th).
Brown, of course, is no stranger to highly-rated recruiting classes. His last 14 years as the head coach at Texas, the Longhorns finished in the Top 10 on 10 different occasions. Included among that was the top-ranked class in 2002. Brown also pulled in the No. 2 classes in 2010 and 2012.
All told, Brown had five Top-Five classes during his time in Austin.
