Could UNC football sign the best class in program history today? Mack Brown thinks so
North Carolina’s football season didn’t fulfill the expectations of its top 10 preseason ranking. But, off the field, its momentum continued to gain traction in recruiting.
The Tar Heels have 17 commitments — including a pair of five star recruits — expected to officially sign on Wednesday during the early signing period. The Heels’ 2022 class is considered the eighth best in the nation, based on 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
“We’re anticipating having probably the best signing day in the history of North Carolina football,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “And it’s really exciting.”
COVID-restrictions being lifted, Virginia Tech’s coaching situation and the touch of cornerbacks coach Dre Bly helped Carolina as it assembled its class.
UNC is set to sign seven players from Virginia, including five of those ranked in the top eight for the state by 247 Sports. It probably helped that recruits in the commonwealth knew Justin Fuente’s tenure as the Hokies’ coach was unstable. He was fired with two games remaining in the regular season.
Bly, whose hometown connections in Chesapeake, Va. paid off, was either the primary or secondary recruiter on most of those players.
Before Brown could construct the class he had to figure out how many scholarships he’d have to offer. It was much easier to figure out before the pandemic. When the NCAA granted an eligibility waiver for participants in the Fall of 2020, it effectively granted those players an extra year, leaving many Division I schools scrambling to figure out how they’d eventually get their scholarships back down to the limit of 85.
“Instead of saying, ‘Hey, we got 15 seniors so we’ll start with 15 spots, you say, ‘We have no seniors,’ because all the spots have been filled so you’re starting with zero,” said Billy High, who serves as UNC’s recruiting director. “We talk about the numbers almost daily as a staff to project that out and see how we’re able to get to our numbers. If you look at the commitment numbers across the country, they’re all down for that very reason.”
Spirits were up last June when the NCAA lifted recruiting restrictions caused by the pandemic and coaches and recruits could have in-person interactions again. During the height of the pandemic, campus tours had to be virtual and the most personable interactions between coaches and potential recruits had to be done on video calls.
It was the first time in a year that players could get on campus. High said it was like a “revolving door” for Carolina with the number of recruits who came for visits.
“We were in COVID dead period and then June hit and it was — I think everybody in this business would agree — the craziest recruiting month that I’ve ever been a part of and it’s not even close,” High said. “We came out in June and we felt like we had made a lot of headway with with prospects.”
Prior to June, Carolina had received just four commitments and the last one was when Shelby defensive end Malaki Hamrick committed in late February. Those in-person visits helped the Heels’ class take off.
From June 16, when Leesville Road High School edge rusher Beau Atkinson committed, to July 28, when Evanston, Ill. linebacker Sebastian Cheeks joined the class, Carolina had at least one player commit for seven-straight weeks.
That included Deuce Caldwell, a linebacker from Mauldin, S.C., who committed the week after his visit.
“I felt like I saw all I needed to see,” Caldwell said. “I knew this class was going to be special because I trusted everything that the coaching staff was saying. I bought in and everybody else was buying in.”
That process of buying in included the recruits who were swayed, or at least encouraged, by talking to other recruits. Caldwell met Tychaun Chapman, who was the first to commit in the class, on his official visit and said he began texting with Chapman and Atkinson shortly thereafter. Their individual exchanges soon turned into a group text.
Tik Tok don’t stop
When Carolina held its cookout in July for elite recruits, running back George Pettaway was leaning toward UNC, but had not yet committed. The Suffolk, Va., native got with several of the other players from the ‘757,’ the area code for the Tidewater region in Virginia, to make a short video to post on the social media app Tik Tok.
With the song “Offended” by Juice Armani playing in the background, seven players paraded past the camera phone including UNC’s current sophomore cornerback Tony Grimes. Travis Shaw, who is a five-star defensive tackle from Greensboro, somehow photobombed his way into the background at the end of the video even though he’s not from Va.
“We didn’t really think anything of it at the time we knew everybody in that video, that we’re strong contenders for Carolina,” Pettaway said. “I thought it could low key be legendary if everybody does what they’re supposed to do and we made it. We can’t dance, so we just walked through one-by-one.”
Pettaway started it off, followed by cornerback Tayon Holloway, Grimes, offensive tackle Zach Rice, wide receiver Andre Greene, Chapman and Shaw — making his cameo at the end. Rice, a five-star recruit who is ranked as the nation’s top offensive tackle, added to the lore by tweeting out the video simply adding, “What if?”
Carolina doesn’t have to speculate. Holloway and Chapman were the only two committed when they recorded the video. But they all fell in place and made the Tar Heels’ haul the class of the ACC.
UNC Class of 2022 commitments
Tychaun Chapman, WR, Virginia Beach, Va.
Tayon Holloway, CB, Virginia Beach, Va.
Trevyon Green, OT, Colonial Heights,Va.
Malaki Hamrick, DE/LB, Shelby
Beau Atkinson, DE/LB, Raleigh
Deuce Caldwell, LB, Mauldin, S.C.
Justin Kanyuk, OT, Bethlehem, Pa.
Marcus Allen, CB, Marietta, Ga.
Conner Harrell, QB, Alabaster, Ala.
Bryson Jennings, DE/LB, Midlothian, Va.
Omarion Hampton, RB, Clayton
Sebastian Cheeks, LB, Evanston, Ill.
Travis Shaw, DL, Greensboro
George Pettaway, RB, Suffolk, Va.
Zach Rice, OT, Lynchburg, Va.
Andre Green Jr, WR, Richmond, Va.
Will Hardy, DB, Norcross, Ga.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Could UNC football sign the best class in program history today? Mack Brown thinks so."