Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land 2026 Quarterback in Form of Ga. Target

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Just one day after the news that his race was being narrowed down, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from one of their top quarterback targets on Wednesday night.

As first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from 2026 3✮ QB Travis Burgess as of earlier this evening. He commits to the Tar Heels over Auburn and NC State, the other two schools that he was supposed to visit outside of his scheduled trip to Chapel Hill.

Burgess, the No. 501 overall prospect and No. 30 quarterback in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, hails from Grayson High School in Loganville, GA. This past year, his first as a full time starter, Burgess threw for 2,255 yards and posted a 23-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio on 60.2% completions, while also running for 596 yards and four touchdowns on just 58 carries.

Burgess fits the bill of the type of quarterback that has a chance to eventually make it to the NFL level. He has the ideal frame at 6’5, 205 lbs. and he has plenty of arm strength to go with it. He combines the strong arm with some nice accuracy at all three levels of the field. He does a great job of navigating pressure in the pocket and keeping his eyes down field and his footwork is incredibly promising, especially for someone at the high school level. He does a good job of making plays on the run and he is an extremely effective runner when he chooses to tuck the ball. The biggest concern is the fact that he is only a one year starter at the high school level, but the promise that he showed this season at one of the top high schools in the country should have Tar Heel fans feeling like he has the upside to be the team's next standout quarterback.

With his commitment, the Tar Heels now have 15 players committed to the 2026 class and have locked up their first quarterback commitment under new head coach Bill Belichick. The class jumps from 17th overall up to 14th and from 6th to 5th in the ACC according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. This is a huge commitment for the Tar Heels and the hope is that this can get the momentum rolling again on the 2026 trail as the team begins some important official visits.