Heel Tough Blog: 2025 Early Signing Day Recap

Wednesday was the opening of the early signing period around college football as the majority of the nation’s top prospects signed Letters of Intent with the schools they will be attending. The team was able to still sign seven of their ten commitments, despite not having a coach. Here is a breakdown of the class that the program brought in on Wednesday and an update on what happened with the other three members of the class.

Signed

@jaybuttss- Instagram

3✮ S Javion Butts- Jones County (Gray, GA)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 54 S

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. NA S

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 57 S

On3: No. NA overall, No. 32 S

Composite: No. 649 overall, No. 53 S

The Tar Heels fought off Missouri to make sure they could hold on to a guy that might be the future of the safety room. Butts is very similar to a lot of the guys that the Tar Heels have added to their secondary in the last couple of recruiting cycles because of the versatility he provides. He can make plays on the outside as a corner, in the slot as a nickel and in deep coverage as a safety, meaning that the possibilities are endless for him when he gets to campus. He has tremendous speed that allows him to stick with receivers if he’s in 1-on-1 coverage and make plays on the football when he’s in space. He is a very solid tackler that can lay the lumber with how well he breaks on the ball, but he is not the most involved safety in the run game. Butts is a guy that, like the true freshman defensive backs that were on the Tar Heels’ roster this past couple of years, will need some time to develop once he gets on campus, but he has some nice upside and versatility that will eventually give him the opportunity to compete for snaps within the first couple of years on campus.

@byronnelson1- Instagram

3✮ IOL Byron Nelson- Katy (Katy, TX)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 52 IOL

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. NA OL

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 38 OG

On3: No. NA overall, No. 71 IOL

Composite: No. 853 overall, No. 60 IOL

Nelson never seemed to be in doubt and confirmed last night that he was prepared to stick with his commitment. Nelson may not be ranked as highly as some of the current offensive linemen were coming out of high school, but there are some promising elements of his game that show up on his film. He may play tackle at the high school, but the way that he simply mauls guys in the running game and his limited lateral movement, he definitely is a fit on the inside. He plays with a mean streak that is needed to play on the interior and that physicality results in a lot of pancake blocks or complete wash outs of defensive linemen or linebackers in his gap. Pass protection will be the question mark with him going up against bigger and much more physical interior offensive linemen, but there is potential there, especially with how good his hand placement is. There is also some nice versatility there for him, as he’s played both left and right tackle at the high school level, meaning he won't be out of sorts if they have to play him at either guard spot. It may take some time for him to adjust to the college level and be ready to pass protect, but don’t let the rating fool you into thinking he doesn’t have the potential to be a contributor along the offensive line at some point in his career.

@iamdevin_95- Instagram

3✮ DL Devin Ancrum- Mill Creek (Hoschton, GA)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 83 DL

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. 51 DT

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 56 DT

On3: No. NA overall, No. 120 DL

Composite: No. 879 overall, No. 99 DL

Ancrum was another guy who never seemed interested in going anywhere else after it was announced Mack Brown was being fired. He might not be the most complete defensive linemen that the team has brought in, but there is plenty of promise here. At 6’2.5, 295 lbs, there is no question he has the size to play on the interior defensive line at this level. The most notable thing about his play is how effective he is at getting off blocks. This is something that Tar Heel defensive linemen simply have been consistent enough with over the past few years and hopefully that is something Ancrum can bring to the table. The main reason he’s had so much success is because of a great release off the line of scrimmage that puts him in an advantageous position to make plays in the opposing backfield. This season as a senior, he used a lot more technical pass rushing moves to shed those blocks, but his junior tape shows that he can bring the physicality as well. The staff will have to make sure that he uses that physicality more consistently, though, because it won’t be as easy to win with technicality on the inside at the college level. It could take him a little bit of time and some work in the weight room, but there is potential here if he can be developed right.

@evan2haynes- Instagram

3✮ WR Evan Haynes- Fellowship Christian School (Roswell, GA)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 199 WR

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. NA WR

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 114 WR

On3: No. NA overall, No. 219 WR

Composite: No. 918 overall, No. 132 WR

Haynes was a guy that was brought up as a possible flip for Georgia Tech, but the Tar Heels did enough to hold onto him in the end. Haynes is a guy who will have some things to work on when he gets to Chapel Hill, but he has plenty of upside. He may not have the most complete route tree, but the way that he is able to win downfield and consistently create big plays is something that gives him the opportunity to make an impact at the next level. He also does a good job of tracking the football and coming away with contested grabs, things that will also help him see playing time if it translates to the college level. He will have to work on expanding his route tree a bit and the jump from the 2A classification in the state of Georgia will be steep, but there is still plenty to like about Haynes’ future with the program and reason to believe he can factor in on special teams while making those adjustments.

@itztreyblue- Instagram

3✮ IOL Trey Blue- Cary (Cary, NC)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 54 IOL

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. NA OL

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 76 OG

On3: No. NA overall, No. 83 OT

Composite: No. 967 overall, No. 67 IOL

Blue was another guy who never strayed from his commitment. Watching Blue’s film, there is a lot to like about what he brings to the table. He has a college frame already at 6’5, 310 lbs. and is starting to show more of a mean streak this season after not showing it a lot as a sophomore. The footwork and lateral movement is impressive, especially for someone of his size, at the high school level and his athleticism is shown when he is the lead or pull blocker. His hand placement is what really has led to his success and is why he was so dominant as a pass protector on his sophomore film. Blue might not be the most polished offensive lineman in this class and we need to see more of the mean streak if he is going to thrive as an interior offensive lineman at the college level, but there is a lot of upside that he brings to this class.

@bigsgju- Instagram

3✮ RB Demon June Jr.- Jacksonville (Jacksonville, NC)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 77 RB

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. 41 RB

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 96 RB

On3: No. NA overall, No. 126 RB

Composite: No. 975 overall, No. 75 RB

June visited Florida State this past weekend following the firing of Brown and was expected to wait to sign, but chose to go ahead and sign later in the evening. June is the type of tough-nosed runner that this staff likes to have in the backfield. He is very much a downhill A and B-Gap kind of runner and he embraces, and at times appears to seek out, contact. When he does run it on the edges, he is patient and does a good job of hitting his holes. His speed isn’t that of some of the other downhill backs that the team has added since Brown’s return, but it isn’t like he doesn’t have a little burst to him when he hits the hole. The biggest concerns with June are his limitations as a pass catcher and the level of competition playing in the eastern part of the state. This is still a guy that could end up surprising later in his Tar Heel career if he sticks around.

@kamdenlaudenslager- Instagram

3✮ EDGE Kamden Laudenslager- McDonogh School (Owings Mills, MD)

247Sports: No. NA overall, No. 55 EDGE

Rivals: No. NA overall, No. NA DE

ESPN: No. NA overall, No. 103 DE

On3: No. NA overall, No. 72 EDGE

Composite: No. 1108 overall, No. 86 EDGE

Laudenslager is another player who never looked elsewhere after Brown’s firing. He is a fun watch on tape. He is a pitbull off the edge, playing with his hair on fire on every play. He has a quick release of the line of scrimmage and has some nice speed around the edge that makes him difficult to stay in front of for some slower offensive tackles. He does have a slight frame at 6’3, 215 lbs, but he is outstanding at shedding blocks and finishing plays in the backfield. He brings a lot of value in the run game, as well, doing a nice job of setting the edge dropping ball carriers in the backfield. It may take him some time to add size so he can compete with the physicality, but there is upside here.

Waiting on Decision

4✮ QB Bryce Baker- East Forysth (Kernersville, NC

4✮ EDGE Austin Alexander- Cooper (Union, KY)

Signed Elsewhere

3✮ S Julien Horton- Bel Air (Bel Air, MD)