The Tar Heels have just scored a major win on the 2021 recruiting trail. 2021 4✮ OLB Raneiria Dillworth announced his commitment to Carolina over national powerhouse Alabama via live stream on the 247Sports website shortly after 4:00 PM, giving the Tar Heels a commitment from one of the top linebackers prospects in the state.
Dillworth, the No. 17 outside linebacker in the 2021 class, is hoping to play his senior season at Glenn High School in Kernersville, NC this coming fall as he’ll look to build on an amazing junior season. This past season, he finished with 198 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for a loss and 5.0 sacks, while also recovering three fumbles, pulling down one interception and blocking three punts. All of that was enough to earn him Central Piedmont 4A Defensive Player of the Year and land him on the all-conference team. His sophomore and freshman stats are incomplete on MaxPreps, but his junior season was definitely a major uptick in production, one that led to his stock skyrocketing over the past few months.
Dillworth’s commitment should excite Tar Heel fans for many reasons. He has a skillset similar to that of Isaiah Simmons, the former Clemson Tiger who has likely inspired the newest obsession for defensive coordinators to add to their schemes. Dillworth is nowhere near as polished as Simmons, but he is an extremely versatile weapon that Jay Bateman will be able to use in a more extended capacity than how he used Dominique Ross this week. His short area quickness is special to say the least and his straight line speed allows him to close gaps with ease. He is a phenomenal tackler in space and although we don’t see much of it on film, he is natural in coverage. Dillworth is a special prospect and one that the Tar Heels value in their defensive scheme. Don’t be shocked if he is able to come in and make an immediate impact next year.
The commitment gives the Tar Heels their thirteenth of the 2021 class and their twelfth from the home state. The commitment moves the Tar Heels ahead of the Clemson Tigers to the No. 2 overall class according to the 247Sports Composite team rankings and No. 1 in the ACC rankings. This could very well be the start of another major push for the Tar Heels on the 2021 trail.
Just moments after Dillworth's commitment, the Tar Heels scooped up their fourteenth commitment of the class, as fellow in-state target 3✮ OG Jared Wilson announced he was also joining the Tar Heels 2021 class over offers from Georgia, Clemson, Florida and others.
Wilson, the No. 20 offensive guard in the 2021 class, was a standout offensive lineman at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, NC, starting every game for the Titans in 2019 as a junior on the way to earning all-conference honors in the Central Piedmont 4A. That was the second consecutive season that he had done that, as he started every game for as a sophomore, earning all-conference honors again.
While Wilson has spent most of his time at right tackle, his size and skillset suggests he'll kick inside. He does a great job of bullying defensive linemen in a confined area with his strong upper body. He doesn't have the lateral movement necessary to stay at tackle, but he is athletic enough to be successful when pull blocking from his guard position, something the Tar Heels like to do often with their interior linemen. There are some technical parts of his game that might need some fine tuning, but this is a nice pick up for the interior of the offensive line.
Wilson's commitment gives the Tar Heels their thirteenth in-state commitment of the class and continues to move the class closer to that elusive No. 1 spot that is still well in the grasp of Ohio State.
Comments