The Tar Heels' momentum on the 2024 recruiting trail just continues to build. For a third straight day, the team has landed a commitment from this one of this past weekend’s official visitors and this time it came in the form of an in-state prospect.
Earlier this afternoon, 2024 3✮ ATH Curtis Simpson announced via social media that he was committing to the Tar Heels over Michigan, Appalachian State and others. The trip to Chapel Hill really felt like it was one that was set up for the Tar Heels to seal the deal after what the staff did in this race in the spring that gave them a significant lead heading into last Friday.
Simpson, the No. 23 player in the state of North Carolina, is coming off one of the best seasons of any edge rusher in the nation at the high school level. He racked 74 total tackles, 36.0 tackles for loss and 23.0 sacks in 2022, the latter of which ranked third in the state and 20th nationally. He also had one interception that was returned for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup. Simpson took home second team all-state and first team all-conference honors after he helped lead a Mountaineer defense that allowed just 14.0 points per game to the state quarterfinals.
Simpson is someone that will be a developmental edge rusher when he arrives on campus. At 6’4, 200 lbs. he has a nice frame, but he will have to add weight once he gets to campus to be able to compete at the edge rusher position. The key, though, will be to keep the speed that makes him such an impactful player at the prep level. He constantly beats people with his burst off the line of scrimmage and his first step is tremendous and makes it even harder for tackles to stay in front of him. He does a great job of keeping offensive linemen from getting their hands on him with the club and rip and utilizes the swim move well when he has to. As a more technical pass rusher, he will have to get a bit more creative with his moves at the next level, but he will also have to learn how to become a little more physical once he adds the muscle. He fits the montra of the undersized edge rushers that they can mold in their system when they get to campus.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels remain hot on the 2024 trail. The class now sits No. 9 overall in the 247Sports Composite team rankings and second in the ACC rankings.