Late last week, we took a look at how I would prioritize the targets that the Tar Heels currently are pursuing at wide receiver in the 2023 class. Today, we’ll look at the defensive line targets, a position where the Tar Heels will look to continue to build the talent at after back-to-back tremendous stashes down there in the past two classes.
4. Rodney Lora- Woodberry Forest (Woodberry Forest, VA)
Lora has the feel of a guy that right now is viewed as a backup option for the Tar Heels in this class. On tape, he is just not the presence of the other guys on this list and fits a similar role to what the team already has in the class with Joel Starlings. They are doing the work to keep themselves in the hunt for his services and will host him this weekend, but I think that he would only be a tale for the Tar Heels if they don’t land some of the top targets at the position.
3. Keith Sampson Jr.- New Bern (New Bern, NC)
Sampson Jr. is a guy who just re-entered the fold as an option for the Tar Heels when he announced last week that he would be taking official visits elsewhere besides Florida State, where he is currently committed. The Tar Heels will have their chance to sway him off of his commitment this weekend when he takes his official visit, one where the goal should be to impress him enough to consider more visits to campus following the dead period. Adding the multi-faceted in-state prospect would be a nice addition, but with him currently committed, it is hard to put him any higher on this list.
2. Daevin Hobbs- Jay M. Robinson (Concord, NC)
Hobbs is one of the more interesting prospects in this 2023 class for the Tar Heels, but they look to be in a good spot for him heading into his official visit weekend. Considering his size, he is a bit of a tweener that could be tough to place early in his career, however, he has a tremendous ability to rush the passer that is impossible to ignore. If the Tar Heels can hold off the push of Auburn, regardless of what they do with other targets along the defensive line, this should be a take for the Tar Heels.
1. Jamaal Jarrett- Grimsley (Greensboro, NC)
Hobbs may be the higher ranked of the two on the recruiting websites, but there is no doubt in my mind that Jarrett needs to be prioritized just a little bit more here. The big 6’6, 350 lbs. prospect compliments what the team already has in the class with Starlings perfectly and would help to continue to build depth at that run-stopping defensive tackle spot that the team is still looking to find production from. The Tar Heels might be playing from behind in this one, but this is a recruitment that is starting to feel similar to his high school teammate Travis Shaw’s recruitment from this past cycle and we all know how that worked out.