Heel Tough Blog: 2024 Official Visit Schedule

The Tar Heels 2024 recruiting class may rank inside the top fifteen at this point of the cycle, but June will be an important month for this staff. Just two of the team’s thirteen commits to this point are ranked inside the top 500 according to 247Sports Composite rankings and the team has struggled so far with the top players in the home state. The good news is plenty of talent will grace campus in the month of June and the team will have a chance to land when it’s all said and done. Here is a look at the running list of prospects that are scheduled to take an official visit to Chapel Hill in June.

June 2nd-4th

3✮ DL Marcus Downs- Riverside (Greer, SC)

The race for Downs commitment is one of the most wide open of those that will be on campus in the month of June. Georgia seems like the slight favorite, but there is a legitimate question as to where the Bulldogs have him on their priority list. The Tar Heels look to be in the same category as Tennessee as teams that have a chance to pounce and being the first school to earn an official visit is a nice start. There is an opportunity here for the Tar Heels and hopefully the staff can make the most of it.

4✮ CB Jameer Grimsley- Tampa Catholic (Tampa, FL)

Grimsley is one of the guys that it was a little bit surprising to see set an official visit to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels deserve a lot of credit for what they’ve done just to get into this position, but this is a steep hill to climb to land his commitment. Right now Alabama and Penn State appear to be the top two battling it out with Michigan hanging on in third and the Tar Heels a distant fourth. Unless those schools start landing other priority targets at the position, it seems to be too much to overcome right now.

TE Timothy Lawson- Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, FL)

Lawson is the first of the Tar Heels' two remaining tight end targets that will be on campus throughout the month as they look for a second commitment at the position in the class. The Tar Heels are firmly in contention here and a strong visit could put them in the pole position when it is all said and done. Expect his other three finalists to push hard for him, as well. This race is wide open heading into June.

4✮ RB Tovani Mizell- Western (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

Mizell is one prospect that the Tar Heels have been making a major push for in the last month and they have themselves in a tremendous spot heading into June. The staff will get the chance to set the bar high in what is now a two horse race with Kentucky. If the Tar Heels can best the Wildcats with the visit, it shouldn’t be long before there is a commitment.

3✮ OT Andrew Rosinski- Creekview (Canton, GA) [COMMITTED]

Rosinski being on campus for this weekend will be a big help for the staff. Since his commitment back in late January, he has been a frequent visitor to campus and he could almost serve as another recruiter throughout the weekend.

June 9th-11th

3✮ DL De’Andre Cook- Friendship Collegiate Academy (Washington, DC)

Cook is one of the guys that the Tar Heels have to feel most confident about heading into the month. He has been a frequent visitor to Chapel Hill in the last few months and they appear to be in the lead for him because of that. A strong showing here could be all the Tar Heels need to get him to pop.

3✮ TE Korey Duff Jr.- St. Anthony’s (Melville, NY)

Duff Jr. recently narrowed his list down to seven, but the Tar Heels are one of two that an official visit locked up as of right now. While this is a good sign and means they are squarely in the race, they aren’t in the driver’s seat. Miami doesn’t yet have their official visit locked up, but it’s only a matter of time, especially after the comments he made to On3 about the team. The Canes are considered the favorite here, but a strong showing from the Tar Heels could give them a fighting chance in a race that will conclude before the summer is over.

3✮ ATH Carlos Mitchell Jr.- Lake Wales (Lake Wales, FL)

Mitchell Jr. is the team’s most recent offer in the 2024 class and he wasted no time getting his official visit set. That appears to be the only official visit that he has set at this time, which makes the Tar Heels a clear favorite. If the staff can impress, it’s hard to not be confident that the team can walk away with his commitment.

3✮ S Kaj Sanders- Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ)

Sanders already has his decision date set for July 30th and will have five visits to try to figure out what seems to be anyone's race right now. The Tar Heels are sandwiched right in the middle of the visit schedule, while the team that appears to have the slight lead, Penn State, will host him to close out the month. The Tar Heels are in a position to make a push for him if they want to, but you have to wonder where he sits on the staff board with other names that they seem to have connections with visiting later in the month.

3✮ ATH Curtis Simpson- Kings Mountain (Kings Mountain, NC)

The Tar Heels have firmly established themselves as the leader in Simpson’s recruitment and they will have the chance to fortify that with this visit. This is the only official visit that Simpson has scheduled right now, so this one where if the staff does what they need to, they could exit the weekend with a commitment from him.

3✮ S Jalon Thompson- Olympia (Orlando, FL)

Thompson set his official visit to Chapel Hill a couple of weeks ago and it quietly flew under the radar. It probably shouldn't have because the Tar Heels look to be the heavy favorites in this race right now. They are the only team that is scheduled to receive an official visit from him. It seems like this is a situation where if the Tar Heels wants his commitment, they'll will have it.

June 16th-18th

4✮ RB Anthony Carrie- Carrollwood Day (Tampa, FL)

Mizell has been the guy talked about the most when it comes to the Tar Heels adding their second running back commitment of the cycle, but Carrie is someone that the team has quietly been eyeing as well. Right now, the Tar Heels are one of three that are scheduled to get an official visit from him, but one would have to believe that South Carolina, who took the lead in this recruitment in April, will get theirs at some point. Depending on what happens with Mizell, this visit may not even matter. 

3✮ OT Mason Wade- Loudoun Valley (Purcellville, VA)

Wade may have four official visits scheduled throughout the month, but this is a race feels like it is down to two. The Tar Heels have put themselves well heading into the month, but Virginia Tech appears to be the leader going in. Those will be the two visits that he will take to close out the month and whoever impresses more will likely walk away with his commitment.

3✮ DL Hank Weber- Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, TN)

The Tar Heels have been the longtime leader in this recruitment, but the others schools he will officially visit have done a good job of hanging around. As of right now, the Tar Heels are in the perfect position with them being the final visit, allowing to counter what will likely be strong push from both Wisconsin and Vanderbilt in the two weeks prior. It may all come down to whether or not the Tar Heels have the room with Cook visiting before him.

June 23rd-25th

3✮ ATH Khalil Conley- Christ School (Arden, NC) [COMMITTED]

This will be Conley’s first trip back to Chapel Hill since his commitment back in early March. He will be a part of the foursome of committed players that will be hoping to convince some of these other big targets to join the class in what will be the most loaded weekend of the month.

4✮ CB Jalyn Crawford- Parkview (Lilburn, GA)

Crawford scheduling an official visit to Chapel Hill, especially for this weekend, probably came as a shock to many. His other three visits will likely determine where he ultimately ends up, but just getting a visit shows the effect that the team is having in the state of Georgia right now.

4✮ CB Zion Ferguson- Gainesville (Gainesville, GA) [COMMITTED TO LSU]

Ferguson’s recruitment might be the most intriguing one right now of the team’s remaining targets in this cycle. He is currently committed to LSU and an article written recently on On3 Sports suggested he is “locked in” with the Tigers. The Tar Heels hosted him during the spring, though, and seemed to make a significant impact on him, leading him to set an official visit to Chapel Hill. This feels like more of a battle than the recruiting analysts would have you believe and a strong showing on this visit could have him flipping, especially if he doesn’t end up taking an official visit to Baton Rouge.

3✮ WR Javarius Green- Crest (Shelby, NC)

The Tar Heels have a bevy of wide receiver targets in the class and Green might be the one the team has the biggest lead with heading into June. Michigan State is the only other school that he is scheduled to officially visit and they seem to be a distant second at this point. If the Tar Heels can close this out strong, they could leave this weekend with his commitment.

3✮ WR Keenan Jackson- Weddington (Matthews, NC)

Jackson was the wide receiver that the Tar Heels appeared to have the best ties with prior to the recent surge with Green. Chapel Hill is easily the place that he has frequented the most in his recruitment, so it's hard to feel like the Tar Heels aren't the favorite. NC State looks to be the biggest threat here, but both Virginia Tech and Duke have hung around to earn official visits, as well. The Tar Heels will get the final word here and the hope is that it will close the deal in a recruitment that has been theres the whole way.

3✮ LB Crews Law- CPA (Nashville, TN)

Law is a guy that the Tar Heels established their position with during the season and throughout the winter, but things have been relatively quiet between the two sides over the last few months. Even with that, they still appear to be in a great spot to land his commitment, although they will have to deal with Kentucky who looks to be the other team in a good spot heading in here. The good news is that the Tar Heels will get the final shot here and the work that they did early here could be the difference.

3✮ QB Michael Merdinger- Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, FL) [COMMITTED]

This might be the biggest asset that the team will have on campus this weekend. Since his commitment back on May 7th, he has been very aggressive in his pursuit of recruiting others in this class. Having that around with the big targets that will be on campus will be a big help for the Tar Heels.

3✮ IOL Jani Norwood- Eastern Randolph (Ramseur, NC) [COMMITTED]

Norwood will make his first trip back to Chapel Hill since his commitment to aid in the efforts to add more people to the class. He committed back on April 5th and has since done multiple interviews to rave about the program. He’ll be a nice asset to the staff throughout the weekend.

3✮ S Christian Peterson- Westlake (Atlanta, GA)

Peterson was another player that the Tar Heels were closely tied to early in his recruitment, but it feels like he will be heading elsewhere as of right now. Auburn is the team best positioned heading into the month after taking the lead in the race back in March and Mississippi State is also hanging around heading into the month. Unless something drastically changes, the Tar Heels will likely be more focused on the other big safety target they will have on campus.

4✮ WR Alex Taylor- Grimsley (Greensboro, NC)

Taylor is one of two in-state 4✮ prospects who will be on campus in this final weekend and the Tar Heels have a lot of work to do here. Clemson has been the heavy favorite here for a while now with NC State as the biggest challenger with everyone else off the pace. That remains the case heading into June, meaning the Tar Heels would have to absolutely blow him away and force him to reconsider his decision date. Even if that doesn’t happen, leaving a lasting impression could be important for the Tar Heels because of the other receiver targets that Dabo Swinney and his staff are in shape to land in this class.

4✮ WR Braylon Staley- Aiken (Aiken, SC)

Staley is another receiver target that the Tar Heels will enter the month trailing with in the race for his services. Clemson is the favorite in this race, as well, and has been for a while, but with all the other targets that they have at the position, it feels like there could be an opportunity here. Miami and Tennessee will also receive official visits throughout the month, but the Tar Heels getting the final shot here feels big. If the Tar Heels can impress, they may have a legitimate shot here.

3✮ TE Ryan Ward- Rutherford (Rutherford, NJ) [COMMITTED]

Ward is right up there with Merdinger in terms of guys that have been aggressively recruiting others to join him in Chapel Hill since his commitment. This will be his first time he will visit campus since his decision back in mid-April and he will be an outstanding asset for the staff as one of the more locked in commits to the class.

4✮ S Malcolm Ziglar- Fuquay-Varina (Fuquay Varina, NC)

Ziglar might very well be the most important target that will roll through Chapel Hill. This is the lone 4✮ in-state prospect that the Tar Heels seem to be in the lead for and one they simply have to close the deal on. As of right now, the only other team that has an official visit scheduled with him is South Carolina, the team that poses the biggest threat right now. Regardless of if he adds more visits, the Tar Heels will get the final say here in the month of June and they need to seal the deal.