Heels add own Paulus

Mike Paulus to join brother in Triangle

The day the world found out that Mike Paulus had decided to play football for John Bunting at the University of North Carolina in 2007, the quarterback at Christian Brothers Academy was running around his home in Syracuse, N.Y., preparing for his high school prom.

"You'd think today, the biggest thing would be me talking to all these reporters," Paulus said in a telephone interview Friday. "But the biggest thing is I'm supposed to pick up my prom date at 5 and I can't find my tux."

Scout.com won't release its 2007 player rankings for another month, but Jamie Newberg, a national recruiting analyst for the Web site, says Mike Paulus is easily one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country in a class that is deep at that position.

He is the younger brother of Greg Paulus, now a rising sophomore point guard for the Duke basketball team who was the No. 1-ranked high school quarterback in the nation when he played for Christian Brothers.

The boys' father, Dave Paulus, appreciates the irony of one son opting to play for another son's rival college. Mike's decision also will help streamline family travel and budgets.

"It certainly will be easier, but that wasn't the key to the decision," Dave Paulus said. "The key was there's a terrific opportunity there for a top-flight quarterback to step in and make a difference in that program."

Paulus, a nominee for next season's U.S. Army All-American Bowl senior game, threw for 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns for a Christian Brothers team that went 11-1 and lost in the state semifinals in 2005.

"That's the type of kid who, depending on the system, could play anywhere in the country," said Newberg of Scout.com.

Before making an oral commitment to the Tar Heels, Paulus also considered Southern California, Syracuse, Michigan, Miami, Alabama, LSU, Tennessee, Nebraska, Stanford, N.C. State, Miami and Wisconsin. He said his decision boiled down to either playing for a national powerhouse in Los Angeles or helping to create one in Chapel Hill.

"They're like a 5-6 win team right now, and I thought they could win two or three more and start going to big bowls if they bring in the right guys," Paulus said. "The potential at UNC is off the charts."

He sounded excited to play for Carolina offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, who directed the wide-open attack at Fresno State from 2002-2005 before taking the job at Carolina.

"No one recruited me harder than Cignetti over the past two years," Paulus said. "[The Heels] need a quarterback. At USC I probably would sit for two or three years to develop. I'm still raw and I think [Cignetti] is the best person to develop me and take me to the next level."

Paulus said UNC coaches assured him he could compete for the job as a freshman.

Paulus can sign a binding letter of intent in February but will not graduate early to enroll at UNC next spring. Paulus said Christian Brothers doesn't allow that. Instead he'll move to the area next summer with his brother Greg to get a jump on summer workouts.

(Staff writer Dane Huffman contributed to this report.)