UNC football National Signing Day live updates: Tar Heels sign 18 players
The momentum seems to keep building for North Carolina coach Mack Brown. In just his second full recruiting cycle since returning to Chapel Hill, he welcomed a class ranked No. 13 nationally by 247 sports. The Tar Heels signed all 18 players who made commitments on the first day of the early signing period.
“The 18-member class that we’ve got is the second smallest class -- meaning number of signees -- in the top 15,” Brown told reporters. “So we’re very, very proud that you start looking at the rating, and if people that are rating them have this correct, our guys have a 91 percent per player average on their composite ranks and that would rank us ninth in the country.”
Brown said 11 players will be enrolling at UNC early, in many cases skipping senior seasons that were moved to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s a possibility receiver J.J. Jones could be the 12th early enrollee, but Brown said Jones was still weighing whether or not to play his senior season of basketball.
The class was evenly split with nine players on offense and nine on defense, but Brown was especially excited for what spring practice might look like for the defense.
“Add this group of speed and tremendous talent to what we’ve already got and we’re losing very few -- we can’t wait ‘til spring practice,” Brown told reporters on a video conference. “...This is really going to help our defense. It’ll help our depth, but it also helps the competition. Guys are gonna have to start practicing really hard to play and that’s when you get better.”
This comes a day after the Heels moved to No. 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings, which has them positioned for an Orange Bowl bid if Clemson beats Notre Dame in the ACC Championship game.
The marquee name on the list is Rocky Mount’s Keeshawn Silver, a five-star prospect who was ranked the fifth best strongside defensive end in the nation by 247 sports. Quarterback Drake Maye, the son of former UNC quarterback Mark Maye, but better known to this generation for being the brother of former UNC basketball player Luke Maye, was the second-highest ranked commitment.
Both Silver and Maye are among 15 in-state commitments for the Heels. Here’s the complete list of those who have signed a Letter of Intent to UNC.
UNC CLASS OF 2021 SIGNEES
GAVIN BLACKWELL, WIDE RECEIVER
High school and hometown: Sun Valley, Monroe
How he’ll help UNC: Even if Dyami Brown joins graduating senior Dazz Newsome in the NFL draft, Carolina is still loaded at receiver. What could help Blackwell is the fact that he played two seasons with quarterback Sam Howell in high school.
J.J. JONES, WIDE RECEIVER
High school and hometown: Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, SC
How he’ll help UNC: At 6-foot-3, he has the size that is largely missing from Carolina receivers. With Beau Corrales returning, Jones will be another big target for Howell. He’s a playmaker, who specializes in yards after catch.
JAHVAREE RITZIE, DEFENSIVE END
High school and hometown: Glenn, Kernersville
How he’ll help UNC: Brown has put an emphasis on improving the defensive line and Ritzie, like Silver, is a prototype end. A teammate of Dilworth, he had 19 tackles for loss as a junior at Glenn. He’s still growing in the position, as he used to play linebacker before moving to the line his sophomore season.
GABE STEPHENS, LINEBACKER
High school and hometown: Mountain Island Charter, Mount Holly
How he’ll help UNC: Just where he’ll line up could change once he’s on campus. Stephens’ most likely spot is at outside linebacker, where he could develop into an elite pass rusher because he’s so explosive. But don’t be too surprised if he transitions into becoming a safety.
KEESHAWN SILVER, DEFENSIVE END
High school and hometown: Rocky Mount, Rocky Mount
How he’ll help UNC: Silver got offers from heavyweights including Alabama, Penn State, Florida and LSU. Ultimately, he stayed close to home and could immediately add to the rotation on the defensive line, where his strength and athleticism may draw comparisons to Julius Peppers. And like Peppers, he’s attempting to play basketball too.
ELI SUTTON, OFFENSIVE TACKLE
High school and hometown: Brentwood Academy, Brentwood, Tenn.
How he’ll help UNC: The good thing for Carolina is Sutton won’t be pressed into action immediately as all of its starters on the offensive line are expected to return. He can help add the depth that Brown wants on his line to help reach a 10-man rotation.
KOBE PAYSOUR, WIDE RECEIVER
High school and hometown: Kings Mountain/Gaffney (SC), Kings Mountain
How he’ll help UNC: He’s not the fastest, but he’s sure-handed and tough to tackle. That’s enough to make him a valuable addition to an already deep receiving corp. Paysour made varsity as a freshman and posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons his sophomore and junior years.
RANEIRIA DILWORTH, LINEBACKER
High school and hometown: Glenn, Kernersville
How he’ll help UNC: Outside linebacker is a need and the graduation of Tomon Fox will open up an opportunity for someone to join the rotation. If Dilworth can improve his strength, he’s got the speed and quickness to be that player. He’s been clocked to run the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds.
DEANDRE BOYKINS, DEFENSIVE BACK
High school and hometown: Central Cabarrus, Concord
How he’ll help UNC: Boykins starred at running back and also made a name returning kicks at Central Cabarrus. But at Carolina, Brown said he’ll play nickelback. He was a sure-handed tackler and his versatility could land him just about anywhere on the field.
DRAKE MAYE, QUARTERBACK
High school and hometown: Myers Park, Charlotte
How he’ll help UNC: As long as Sam Howell is healthy, Maye won’t be expected to play much a role next season. But the future is wide open especially with Jace Ruder entering the transfer portal leaving Jacolby Criswell and Jefferson Boaz as the only backups.
BRYSON NESBIT, TIGHT END
High school and hometown: South Mecklenburg, Charlotte
How he’ll help UNC: Nesbit just committed this month. He’s a raw talent, but a big talent nonetheless. His 6-foot-6, 235-pound frame is in many ways ready for the rigors of Division I football on Day One. But he’s still learning the game in many ways, as he didn’t start playing football until last year.
TYMIR BROWN, CORNERBACK
High school and hometown: Jacksonville, Jacksonville
How he’ll help UNC: Brown is a pure athlete, as demonstrated by his ability to play quarterback his junior season in an old-school option offense. He was a three-year starter at cornerback, but will have the luxury of being able to learn the position his first season with UNC loaded at corner.
DONTAVIUS NASH, SAFETY
High school and hometown: Hunter Huss, Gastonia
How he’ll help UNC: Nash was the first commit of the 2021 class, making it official in June of 2019. He’ll need to put on muscle, but don’t underestimate his willingness to throw his body around despite his slim build. He could fit right in at nickel back because of his coverage abilities.
DIEGO POUNDS, OFFENSIVE TACKLE
High school and hometown: Millbrook, Raleigh
How he’ll help UNC: It’s always good to have athletic tackles, and rumor has it that Pounds can stand flat-footed and dunk a basketball. He could be a bit of a project as he only played varsity football one season, but he has the intangibles -- including a prototype frame -- to be an effective lineman.
KAMARRO EDMONDS, RUNNING BACK
High school and hometown: Havelock, Havelock
How he’ll help UNC: Assuming Javonte Wiliams leaves early with graduating senior Michael Carter, the competition at running back will be wide open next season. Edmonds rushed for more than 1,400 yards as a junior with 17 touchdowns.
POWER ECHOLS, LINEBACKER
High school and hometown: Vance, Charlotte
How he’ll help UNC: The Most Valuable Player of the 2019 4A state championship game, had 156 tackles including 14 sacks as a junior. He’s also been twice recognized by the Charlotte Observer as its Defensive Player of the Year. He’ll be a nice addition to the Heels group of inside linebackers that will lose Chazz Surratt to the NFL.
CALEB HOOD, RUNNING BACK
High school and hometown: Richmond, Rockingham
How he’ll help UNC: A legacy recruit whose father, Errol, played for Mack Brown during his first stint in Chapel Hill. Hood was a four-year starter at quarterback at Richmond High, but will likely start off at running back at Carolina. He’s added about 20 pounds over the past year in preparation for the position switch.
TREVION STEVENSON, LINEBACKER
High school and hometown: Phoebus, Hampton, Va
How he’ll help UNC: Stevenson flipped from a commitment to Pitt to join the Heels. He played defensive end his junior season and totaled 16 sacks. His size will allow him to fit in as an outside linebacker who specializes in pass rushing in Carolina’s system.
HOW UNC FARED ON SIGNING DAY
Where the recruiting class ranks nationally: 13th
Where the recruiting class ranks in the ACC: 3rd
* based on 247 Sports rankings
Best recruit: Keeshawn Silver
At 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, Silver was a coveted defensive end who should instantly help boost Carolina’s pass rushing ability. He’s athletic for his size and will be ready to earn a spot in the rotation immediately.
Best surprise: Drake Maye
When Mack Brown first took over and began his second stint coaching at UNC, he was able to make a late push to flip quarterback Sam Howell from Florida State. Well, Maye was committed to Alabama before Brown was able to flip him and the Howell precedent seems like a good omen for the Tar Heels’ future at quarterback.
This story was originally published December 16, 2020 at 5:50 AM.