Yesterday was a win for the Tar Heels on and off the field. Shortly after kickoff of yesterday's game with Campbell, the team picked up their 27th commitment in the 2024 class from their last remaining uncommitted target.
2024 3✮ DL Leroy Jackson, the No. 145 defensive lineman in the class according to 247Sports Composite player rankings, announced his commitment to the Tar Heels at a special ceremony at his high school on Saturday afternoon. Jackson has been silently committed to Mack Brown and company since he took his official visit to Chapel Hill for the win over Miami back in mid-October.
Jackson just closed out the regular season of his senior year at Lee County High School in Leesburg, GA. He finished his breakout senior season with 42 total tackles, 21.0 tackles for loss, 9.0 sacks, eleven quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. For comparison, he finished last season with just 29 total tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and 0.0 sacks. Now, a year later, he looks to be heading towards all-region and all-state honors.
Jackson’s film shows a lot of promise. He has a good first step of the line of scrimmage, which allows him to make a lot of plays in the backfield. He does a good job of shedding blockers and uses a nice combination of speed and power to get it done. He has some nice athleticism that he has been able to show with how successful he has been rushing off the edge this season. To make it at the college level, he will have to add more strength and build upon his one year of production, but with the season he has put together it is worth the risk.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels have that second interior defensive lineman that they were looking to add back in the summer. With 27 commitments in the class, the team has likely put their final touches on this 2024 class barring a decommitment along the way. As of right now, the class sits 27th overall and fifth in the ACC in the 247Sports Composite team rankings.