Signing Day roundup: A look at who signed at Duke, NC State and UNC

There weren’t many surprises on Signing Day, other than the North Carolina AP defensive player of the year, ending up at Marshall instead of N.C. State.

Most of the Triangle schools – Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State – got pretty much who they expected.

Duke assistant coach Derek Jones, the main recruiter for the Blue Devils, tweeted a picture of his feet kicked up on his desk, showing off his leopard socks. The tweet said “This is what you do when all 22 of them are Signed, Sealed and Delivered by 8:15 am. “Who’s Relaxing Like Us??? NoooooooBody!!! #DukeGang17.”

UNC coach Larry Fedora said in an interview on Adam & Joe 99.9 The Fan Wednesday, that he knew pretty much all prospects who would sign around 8:13 a.m. The Tar Heels had 20 players sign.

According to ESPN.com, UNC has the 26th ranked recruiting class in the country. It was headlined by four-star recruits Jonah Melton, a 6-4, 295-pound offensive guard from Mebane, Jake Lawler, a 6-3, 225-pound defensive end from Charlotte, and Xach Gill, a 6-5, 270-pound defensive tackle from Wake Forest High School. All three of those players were in-state prospects and have enrolled early.

Duke had one of its better classes in recent years, with ESPN.com ranking it No. 34 in the country. The Blue Devils picked up some key pieces on defense. Twelve of its 22 signees were on defense, including Drew Jordan, a 6-2, 255 pound four-star prospect from Georgia. He’s also the 13th ranked defensive end in the country.

NC State had the biggest recruiting class of the three Triangle ACC schools. It signed 27 signees, 18 of them were three-star recruits. Among them is wide receiver Emeka Emezie, a 6-3, 200-pound three-star prospect from Waxhaw who was a Carolinas selection in the Shrine Bowl . The Wolfpack also added Matthew McKay, a 6-4, 185-pound three-star quarterback from Wakefield High School.

Ratings won’t matter much once players hit the field.

Some two-star recruits may be the best players on their team, while a four- and five-star recruits may never develop.

“I think when they get to college, there’s a lot of things that happen,” N.C. State coach Dave Doeren said Wednesday. “There’s a number of players on our team that were two- or three-star recruits. (Bradley) Chubb, Matt Dayes, Jaylen Samuels, ... they all are really good football players. “

This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Signing Day roundup: A look at who signed at Duke, NC State and UNC."