
With Jacolby Criswell entering the transfer portal, the Tar Heels have an extra quarterback scholarship and they have filled that spot with a high school recruit.
As first reported by Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from 2025 unranked QB Au’Tori Newkirk over Delaware State, Elon, Hampton, Howard, Massachusetts, Norfolk State, North Carolina Central, Temple, Toledo and William & Mary. His commitment comes after he took a visit to Chapel Hill over the weekend.
Newkirk just finished his senior season at Maury High School in Norfolk, VA where he has been thriving as the starter for the last two years. Last year, as a junior, he threw for 3,670 yards, 44 touchdowns and five interceptions while running for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named the VHSL Class 5 Offensive Player of the Year and led the team to a 15-0 season and a state title. He would accomplish the same feats this season after throwing for 3,802 yards and 50 touchdowns while running for 603 yards and six touchdowns.
Newkirk seems to be a hidden gem that the team has found to add to this room. Size was once a concern with him, but after a growth spurt that has him at 6’3, 200 lbs., those concerns should be gone. He has impressive arm strength that allows him to make deep throws with ease, even when he has to leave his feet while under pressure. The accuracy is there at all three levels and a lot of that happens because of the strong footwork that he has. He can make plenty of plays off-platform and thrive in situations where the team decides to roll him out. His release is the biggest concern about him after he had to adjust it because of an “elongated motion” that caused him to get the ball out slower according to 247Sports reporter Hudson Standish. As a ball carrier, he isn’t going to wow anyone with his speed but he can make plays in the open field and has the production that shows it can be a part of his game at the college level. The Class 5 classification might not be the top in the state of Virginia, but it is still a pretty good level of competition to judge him on and have him prepared for this level. He may not be fellow classmate Bryce Baker, but there is a lot to like about Newkirk’s upside. This is a worthwhile risk for a Tar Heel team that clearly didn’t see anything else in the portal after landing Ryan Browne earlier in the window.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels now have 13 commits in the 2025 recruiting class, four of which have come since the hire of Bill Belichick. Because Newkirk remains unranked in the 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, the Tar Heels class still sits No. 76 overall and No. 17 in the ACC in the site’s team rankings.
Comments