Rolesville RB keeps focus on HS football playoff race amid decommitment from UNC

College football’s big-name out-of-state coaches who phone Rolesville High coach Ranier Rackley may begin by asking about 4-star prospect Zavion Griffin-Haynes, but they don’t stop inquiring there.

When the subject is junior running back Amir Brown, Rackley says he provides the same answer whether he’s talking with Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman, Ohio State’s Ryan Day or Georgia’s Kirby Smart.

“I tell them, ‘I can show you better than I can tell you,’” Rackley said. “I can give you lip service, but if you watch him play or sit down and talk to him, you’ll see. I teach my guys, ‘You’re about what you do when nobody is watching.’ Amir works hard. He’s a leader. I don’t have to push him.”

Brown, a 5-foot-11, 205-pounder, holds 40-plus offers on a list he said is still growing. It starts with all three sides of the Triangle, extends to Miami on the southern eastern tip of map and stretches to Stanford on the West Coast. He’s ranked a 4-star by ESPN and On3, and a 3-star by 247 Sports.

Wednesday, Brown told the News & Observer he decommitted from North Carolina, to which he’d verbally committed in August. It was a stunning move to some, and comes after a week of tumult surrounding the Tar Heels.

But, true to his focused nature, Brown preferred to keep the spotlight on his team and teammates at Rolesville, where his play has helped the Rams, last year’s state 4A runners-up in the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs, rebound from losing 18 starters and opening the season 0-2 and 1-3. All three losses were to state-ranked opponents, but the Rams (4-3, 3-1 CAP 8A) climbed above .500 with last week’s 62-7 win over Wakefield (0-7, 0-4 CAP 8A).

Rolesville is tied for second place in conference play with Leesville Road (5-2, 3-1 CAP 8A) and Enloe (5-2, 3-1 CAP 8A) behind Millbrook (7-0, 4-0 CAP 8A). The Rams are seeking their fifth win in six games as they face Athens Drive (0-7, 0-4 CAP 8A) at 7 p.m. Friday at Rolesville Stadium.

“We lost a lot of seniors and experience, and we had a rough start,” Brown said. “But we’re still confident. The pieces are starting to come together. We take it one week at a time. We have Athens Drive this week, then Leesville Road and then Enloe. We want to be ready to start a new season in the playoffs.”

Brown takes the lead

Last year Brown played a secondary role as a sophomore to senior De’Von Thomas, who is now at freshman playing at Campbell. Brown finished with 612 yards rushing while averaging 6.6 yards a carry and scoring 11 touchdowns.

He’s on his way to compiling a 1,000-yard year in his second Rolesville season after spending his freshman season at Cardinal Gibbons. Through seven games, Brown has 100 carries for 795 yards to average 8.0 per carry and 113.6 per game with 11 touchdowns.

“He’s a violent runner,” Rackley said. “He gets behind his pads and runs hard. He’s also separating himself as a running back by learning to be a versatile player. He’s adjusted his play to be good in pass protection. He was good at it last year, but there’s always room for improvement.”

Although Brown was new to the roster last year, he grew up playing youth football in the community with and against his Rams teammates. One of his youth league teammates was Rolesville senior receiver Gavin Waddell, who is committed to Louisville.

“I’ve always been comfortable with everyone here,” Brown said. “I’ve bonded with these guys since youth ball.”

Brown plays at 205 pounds, which apparently means there is not much body fat on him. He looks bigger on the field than his weight, an impression he attributes his to dedication in the weight room.

“I used to be smaller, but during the COVID year I hit the weight room,” he said. “There was nothing else to do, and I was working out twice a day. I have the mindset to set myself apart from the pack. My dad (Danville Brown) always told me to be different.”

About that UNC news ...

When Brown announced his commitment on Aug. 3 to North Carolina over Notre Dame, he was one of three Rolesville players committed to North Carolina, along with two seniors, defensive end Zavion Griffin-Haynes and his brother, linebacker Jayden Griffin-Haynes. The brothers released social media comments that they remained “100 percent” committed to UNC despite the team’s 2-3 record with lopsided losses, a suspended assistant coach and media reports of divisive team culture.

With no school Monday, Brown visited North Carolina. He returned home that night saying he was still firmly committed to the Tar Heels. But he told the News & Observer on Wednesday he began to reconsider his decision on Tuesday night before making it official the next day.

“I think it’s the best decision for me at this time,” he said. “I’m a junior and have plenty of time to explore my options at other schools.”

Brown, who carries a 3.6 grade-point average and plans to study sports marketing, added he is still considering UNC.

“I don’t believe Bill is leaving North Carolina after the year,” Brown said.

The leading contender to land Brown is now Notre Dame, which he officially visited one month after verbally committing to North Carolina. Rivals and On3 list his probability of signing with the Fighting Irish at 96%.

Brown also explained his early commitment was based on his long relationship with assistant coach Natrone Means, a North Carolina alumnus and eight-year NFL veteran. Means was an offensive analyst on former head coach Mack Brown’s staff (2021-24) and retained by Belichick as the running backs coach.

“I knew they might not win right away, and it was going to take some time with a new program,” Brown said this week. “I like how North Carolina uses their running backs. They feed them the ball. I was a priority with coach Means then and now. I committed because I’m a priority, and it’s close to home.”

High school coaches were traditionally the most important figure in a prospect’s recruiting experience prior to modern-day outside influences, including agents in the revenue sharing era. However, a high school coach is still the father figure with day-to-day contact for advice.

“I tell my players to block out the noise,” Rackley said. “I tell them to keep your focus on our season. We’ve got enough things to deal with.

“But, of course, they hear it and see it. They want to know what’s going on with that situation. I tell them people don’t know the truth until they’re in the building, and they can talk to the players. My guys are asking transparent questions.”

They’re asking to be shown, not told.