Football’s early signing period is here. Here’s what UNC, N.C. State, Duke can expect
Christmas will come early for college football coaches in the Triangle.
The joy won’t come in the form of gifts under a tree, instead it will be buzzing fax machines early in the morning.
The start to the early signing period has become the premier day for prep stars to make it official, no longer waiting until the second week in February.
Today N.C. State’s Dave Doeren, Mack Brown of UNC and new Duke coach Mike Elko will welcome in a new batch of talent, one fax at a time. It will be the first class under Elko, who was named the Blue Devils’ coach on Dec. 10.
The signed letters of intent will start rolling in at the crack of dawn; here’s what Triangle fans can expect today from their favorite programs.
UNC
The excitement for Brown’s class of 2022 is unmatched. The Tar Heels are expecting signatures from 17 commitments, including four from the state of North Carolina. Brown’s class includes two five-stars prospects.
ACC RANK: 1
NATIONAL: 8
LOCAL FLAVOR: Leesville Road defensive end Beau Atkinson committed to UNC on June 16. Atkinson (6-foot-6, 240 pounds) is ranked No. 6 in the state and No. 18 at his position in 247Sports’ composite rankings. Maybe UNC fans have also heard of another local commitment for the Tar Heels — Cleveland’s Omarion Hampton. The four-star running back was recently named the Mr. Football in the state.
BIGGEST GRAB: While Brown’s staff hauled in seven players from the state of Virginia, the top player in the class is from North Carolina. Defensive tackle Travis Shaw is a five-star prospect and the top player in the state. Shaw (6-5, 310) led Grimsley to a state championship in the spring of 2021 and picked UNC over SEC powers Georgia and Alabama.
N.C. STATE
Doeren’s class is relatively small (12). But, with so many players returning, he won’t need much from the 2022 group right away. It’s no surprise, considering the NFL pipeline from the program, that Doeren has three defensive linemen in this group. Considering that’s been the strength of the team this season and he expects to see a mass exodus from the defense next season, it’s good the Pack added some guys on that side of the ball.
ACC RANK: 8
NATIONAL: 52
LOCAL FLAVOR: Cary’s Rylan Vann was the first player to commit to the class of 2022. Vann (6-1, 275) is expected to play guard or center for the Wolfpack. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because his older brother, Davin, just completed his freshman season for N.C. State. Vann is the No. 32 player in the state and the No. 66 interior offensive lineman in the nation.
BIGGEST GRAB: The top-ranked player in the group is J.H. Rose running back Michael Allen. The four-star prospect is the No. 8 player in the state and just led the Rampants to a state title game appearance.
Allen is listed as a running back, but also played a lot of wide receiver for Rose. This season Allen rushed for 1,157 yards and 18 scores. He also caught 38 passes for 610 yards and eight touchdowns. Allen averaged 125 all-purpose yards.
DUKE
Elko will have to hit the ground running to keep as many commitments as he can while recruiting players of his own. Seventeen players verbally committed to former coach David Cutcliffe and his staff. The tricky part now is seeing how many stay or look for greener pastures elsewhere with a new coach in town.
Elko arrives in Durham after serving as the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M the last four seasons. He was previously a coordinator at Wake Forest and has ties to the state when it comes to high school coaches and programs.
ACC RANK: 7
NATIONAL: 48
LOCAL FLAVOR: Duke didn’t have to go far to nab Jordan High School defensive lineman Vincent Anthony, Jr., the No. 26 player in North Carolina. Tight end Jake Taylor just won a state championship with Cardinal Gibbons High School. Taylor (6-5, 220) committed to Duke on August 16. The three-star prospect is the No. 33 player in the state. As a senior, Taylor caught 28 passes for 512 yards and seven scores.
BIGGEST GRAB: Greensboro’s Mehki Wall also just won a state title and Duke hopes he’ll bring that playmaking ability to Durham. Wall (5-10, 165) led Dudley to a ring after grabbing 43 receptions for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for five touchdowns.
