Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Complete Flip of Former Penn State CB Commit

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As Early Signing Day approaches, the Tar Heels are getting hot on the 2026 recruiting trail. After landing two commitments in the class yesterday, the team has picked up two more today, the first of which is a flip from Penn State.

As first reported by Hunter Shelton of On3/Rivals, the Tar Heels have completed the flip of former Penn State commit Julian Peterson. Peterson, who decommitted from the Nittany Lions on October 22nd, took an official visit to Chapel Hill back in late October and also visited Wisconsin and Clemson over the past weeks.

Peterson, the No. 600 overall prospect and No. 46 cornerback in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, is in the midst of his senior season at Winslow Township High School in Atco, NJ. In eleven games played this season, he has collected 30 total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack, one interception and one pass defensed.

Peterson is a very nice addition to this cornerback class. At 6’2, 175 lbs., he has plenty of positional size to be able to play on the outside and also provides the versatility to play on the inside if the Tar Heels were to need him there. He is a tremendous man cover corner that can be physical at the line of scrimmage when he needs to. He has fluid hips that allow him to open up quickly and seamlessly stay with receivers on downfield routes and his ability to get in and out of breaks is a major strength. One thing that might surprise you is just how good of tackler he is and how physical he can be in those situations, as well. The motor is right where it needs to be and he has a nose for the football that may not show up a ton on tape, but could translate to the next level because of just how hard he plays.

With his commitment, the Tar Heels class ballooned to 38 commits. The class remains 17th in the overall rankings and 3rd in the ACC rankings according to 247Sports Composite.