2024 5✮ QB Jadyn Davis probably tops the list of the most wanted prospects for Tar Heel fans for the 2024 cycle and later today he will be revealing his decision.
Via his social media last Friday, Davis named the five schools still running for his services for his commitment, which will come this afternoon at 1:30 PM on Sportscenter. The Tar Heels, as expected, are one of those five along with Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Michigan has been the favorite for him for the better part of the last year and should head in with the significant advantage to walk away with his commitment. There was a point back in January where the door opened just a little because of Jim Harbaugh’s flirtation with multiple NFL jobs and the Tar Heels took advantage of it. Following a January 21st unofficial visit to Chapel Hill, they had established themselves as the biggest threat to the Wolverines and the team that could become the favorite if Harbaugh did depart. With Harbaugh staying put, though, and a strong final visit last weekend for the Wolverines, it looks all but certain that he is bound for Ann Arbor.
The recruiting experts agree with that notion. All six of 247Sports’ crystal ball predictions favor the Wolverines, as do all twelve of the Rivals’ FutureCasts predictions. All five of the On3 Sports predictions also favor the Wolverines, as does the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Davis being an in-state prospect makes this one hurt, but this has always felt like a bit of an uphill battle, especially after Michigan took a lead in this recruitment. There has to be a little concern at the quarterback position, though, in regards to this class with fellow big-time target Jake Merklinger going to Tennessee and Arkansas pushing hard for KJ Jackson.
Davis heading to Michigan could have a major effect on the Tar Heels class outside of the quarterback position. Three of the team’s other major targets in the class are high school teammates with him at Providence Day High School in Charlotte and the wonder is how much this could affect their recruitments. 3✮ S Brody Barnhardt does not hold an offer from the Wolverines, but both 4✮ WR Jordan Shipp and 3✮ WR Channing Goodwin do and hold them in high regard. Goodwin is a Michigan legacy who already has them as the favorite, meaning he is probably down near the bottom of the Tar Heels' priority list. Shipp, however, might be a different story being that he was one of the team’s early targets at the position in the cycle.
This is a tough one for the Tar Heels staff to lose considering the success that they have had within the state with quarterbacks. They will now need to be extremely aggressive in the race for KJ Jackson or extend another offer on the recruiting trail to make sure they add a quarterback in this class.