bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668
CHAPEL HILL -- The birthday of North Carolina coach Butch Davis' wife typically falls on national signing day, and this year was no exception.
"The common joke around our house is: 'What did you get her for her birthday?' -- four offensive linemen, five defensive linemen, two wide receivers, a running back," Davis said Wednesday.
The Tar Heels signed 17 players -- four already had signed and are enrolled -- and the 2010 class also includes three linebackers, two defensive backs, a tight end and three other players listed as athletes.
Scout.com ranked UNC's class No. 31 in the nation, fourth-highest in the ACC, and Davis said he was excited about the signees.
"It was a good day," he said. "All recruiting classes are a combination and culmination of at least 12 months, if not more than 12 months, of hard work."
Davis said for the first time since he has been at UNC, this year's group will be a typical recruiting class of the future. The Tar Heels signed a player at every position except at quarterback, and that was by design.
Davis said the coaching staff felt comfortable with the quarterbacks already on the roster -- three-year starter T.J. Yates will be entering his senior season and highly touted redshirt freshman Bryn Renner is expected to compete -- and they decided six months ago not to recruit a quarterback.
"We were respecting the idea that kids that play quarterback, they kind of want to look into future," Davis said. "Not only do they want to know who they're going to play with, but they also want to know, 'What's my opportunities to get a chance.' ...We just felt like this would be an appropriate time to maybe skip the quarterback position."
Davis also said, unlike previous years, he expects all 21 players to be on campus in the fall, whereas a year ago the Tar Heels oversigned with the anticipation that some players would need to spend an extra year to qualify academically.
UNC focused on offensive and defensive linemen this year, and the top signees at each position -- five-star prospect James Hurst on offense and four-star Brandon Willis on defense -- already have enrolled.
But Hurst was not the only offensive lineman to enter school early, as T.J. Leifheit also enrolled in January as both hope to earn some playing time this coming season.
"James Hurst and T.J. Leifheit were guys that we feel like have got the athletic ability and the work ethic that's going to put them in a position to compete well enough to give them a chance to potentially play in their freshman year," Davis said.
Willis said he was happy to be at UNC after a crazy start to the month. The day Willis was supposed to enroll at Tennessee on Jan. 12, Coach Lane Kiffin announced he was leaving for Southern California. Willis said he found out about Kiffin's departure while watching TV.
"I found out that, gave it a day and talked to my dad and then kind of cut my phones off," said Willis, who had committed to UNC earlier in the recruiting process but then changed his mind. "Being an early enrollee, I wanted to be somewhere early so I could get the chance to play early. Me and my dad just talked, and this was the best fit other than Tennessee for me."
The Tar Heels also picked up three recruits Wednesday. Ethan Farmer (6-3, 255) from Tabor City chose UNC over Clemson, and even though he's listed as an athlete, he is expected to play on the defensive line. Sean Tapley (6-1, 185) from Jacksonville, Fla., who is listed as an athlete, and defensive tackle Carlos Gray, a 6-3, 290-pounder from Pinson, Ala., also signed.
The one surprise for UNC was the loss of running back Casey Turner (5-11, 190) from Jacksonville, Fla., who had verbally committed to UNC a few weeks ago. The Tar Heels had hoped to have two running backs in the class of 2010, but Turner signed with Rutgers -- the school he originally committed to in December.
"It kind of, somewhat came as certainly a surprise," Davis said. "You never know the uncertainty.
"Why does a kid at the 12th hour make a decision? Why does he change? Is it because of somebody else that you're getting? You never know."
