One of the members of the Tar Heels’ 2020 class will not be enrolling at the university this fall.
According to multiple sources around the Tar Heel football team, 2020 3✮ CB Jayden Chalmers will not be a part of the Tar Heel football team this fall. He will instead head to prep school for this fall after reportedly not being able to meet the academic requirements to enroll this year.
This was a risk that the Tar Heel assumed when they recruited Chalmers, but was one that was definitely worth the risk. Had Chalmers been able to qualify, his skills as a pure cover corner would have been some of the best on this 2020 team. Now, any plans for Chalmers will have to be put on hold.
The good news is that the Tar Heel secondary is loaded heading into this season. The Tar Heels lose just three total players from the 2019 unit, only two of which could be defined as major contributors. The group will add Bryce Watts and Kyler McMichael, two transfers who had to sit out a year after transferring last offseason, and will also see Patrice Rene, Cam’Ron Kelly and Bryson Richardson all return from injury. The concern comes down the line, though, as Chalmers was the Tar Heels only cornerback commit of the class.
The good news is that if Chalmers can do what he has to do in the fall, the belief is that the staff would be willing to allow him to enroll next spring. Whether Chalmers ends up at Carolina next year or not, landing Tony Grimes now becomes even more important than it was before this happened.