It has already been quite a week on the recruiting trail for the Tar Heels with the commitment of 2020 5✮ WDE Desmond Evans and 2020 4✮ OLB Trenton Simpson decommitment from Auburn. On Monday evening, the Tar Heels continued that momentum by flipping the commitment of 2020 3✮ WR Stephen Gosnell from NC State.
According to 247Sports Composite rankings, Gosnell is rated as the No. 36 player in the state of North Carolina and the No. 168 wide receiver in the 2020 class. So far this season as a senior at East Surry High School in Pilot Mountain, NC, Gosnell has caught 37 passes for 899 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the way for the Cardinals vaunted passing attack. Last year, Gosnell caught 21 passes for 430 yards and seven touchdowns and as a sophomore in 2017, caught 10 passes for 360 yards and three touchdowns.
Gosnell looks like a perfect fit for this Tar Heel offense at wide receiver. He can catch just about anything that comes his way with his reliable hands and solid catch radius. Gosnell does the bulk of his damage after the catch, though. He combines good straight line speed with fantastic acceleration to pull away from defenders. Gosnell also does a great job of making defenders miss in the open field with his ability to stick his foot in the turf and make cuts and, while he may not have the biggest frame, has enough strength to run through defenders. Gosnell is a willing blocker and in the few reps that he showed on tape, he has been effective. One of the only concerns that I had with his film was his route running, but Lonnie Galloway will definitely work to iron those issues out when he arrives on campus.
Gosnell becomes the Tar Heels’ 24th member of the 2020 class, joining his teammates Jefferson Boaz, who committed back in June, and Landon Stevens, who committed as a preferred walk-on last week. The commitment keeps the Tar Heels 2020 class as No. 18 overall in the 247Sports Composite team rankings and 4th in the ACC, but does inch them closer to overtaking Miami for 3rd in the ACC.