Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Add Commitment from 2026 3✮ EDGE

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The Tar Heels are on fire in the 2026 recruiting class as the team has just landed their third commitment in as many days in the cycle.

As he revealed via his social media accounts, 2026 3✮ EDGE Ashton Blatt has committed to UNC following a midweek official visit to campus. He chose the Tar Heels, who just offered him back in mid-May, over Penn State, Virginia Tech and Duke, all schools that he had or were scheduled to officially visit this month.

Blatt, the No. 708 overall prospect and No. 68 EDGE in the 2026 class according to 247Sports, hails from Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA. He is coming off a junior season where he finished with 32 total tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks while playing in thirteen of the team’s fifteen games. He was named a first team all-conference member and also a member of the 6A team for his efforts. The year prior, as a sophomore, he saw his first action on the varsity team, collecting 26 total tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.

Blatt, who stands at 6’4, 230 lbs., already has pretty good size both in height and weight to play that edge rusher position at the college level. He uses that length well to keep tackles’ hands off of him when he rushes the passer and alters passing lanes from time to time. He wins more often with speed rushes as opposed to bull rushes, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t play with a nice level of physicality as well. His overall speed might not blow anyone away, but his ability to close on quarterbacks when he gets free from the block is what makes him a dangerous pass rusher. As a run defender, he is aggressive off the edge and does a good job of crashing inside to make tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. His motor might be the best element of his game, as he is involved in every play and is more than willing to run plays down from behind. At the college level, he will have to add a little more physicality to his game and prove he can set the edge in the run game, but there is plenty of potential here.

With his commitment, the Tar Heels’ 2026 class has their second edge rusher commitment and their 19th overall commitment, the latter of which is tied for third-most in the country in this cycle. The commitment also jumps the class up to 18th overall and 4th in the ACC in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings.