UNC football lands another 5-star recruit. Here’s who’s going to Chapel Hill, and when
North Carolina picked up its second five-star commitment in the Class of 2022 when offensive tackle Zach Rice chose the Tar Heels over Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Virginia. The 6-foot-6, 282-pound Rice is the No. 1-ranked offensive tackle in the nation by the 247 Sports Composite rankings.
“I will be a program changer,” Rice said as his commitment was streamed live online at CBS Sports HQ on Thursday.
Rice currently attends Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Va. He joins defensive tackle Travis Shaw from Greensboro Grimsley High School as the second five-star commitment in Carolina’s class. Rice will join an offensive line that’s been much-maligned this season after allowing 27 sacks through seven games.
Rice, who immediately stuffed his feet in a pair of Carolina blue Retro Jordan IV sneakers after his announcement, said the difference maker in his decision was he wanted to play for a “Hall of Fame head coach,” in UNC’s Mack Brown.
Carolina hasn’t signed two five-star recruits in the same class since Marvin Austin and Dwight Jones in 2007. UNC currently has a total of 15 commitments for the Class of 2022 and five of them are from Virginia. Rice’s addition vaulted to the Heels’ class to No. 9 in the nation, according to 247 Sports.
“The Virginia vibe at UNC is the biggest thing, it gets no better than that,” Rice said. “We’re on the come up right now, I really believe that.”
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 9:56 PM.