For the second time in three days, the Tar Heels have landed a defensive back commitment in the 2023 class. Just a short time ago, 2023 3✮ S Zachary Tobe announced via his social media account that he was committing to the Tar Heels following his official visit to campus over the weekend. Tobe’s commitment gives the Tar Heels their third defensive back commit of the cycle, but the first at the safety position.
Tobe, the No. 67 safety in the 2023 class according to 247Sports Composite player rankings, is heading into his final season at Ocoee High School in Ocoee, FL. Last year as a junior, he finished with 31 total tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery for a team that finished the season 6-4 but missed the state playoffs.
While Tobe might be listed as a safety, he has some versatility to him, having played both corner and safety a year ago in high school. At 6’2, 180 lbs, he has the size needed to play on the outside if the team is wanting to use him as an outside corner. He looks good in man coverage and shows some nice physicality there as well. As a track and field guy, he has the speed and quickness to close nicely on the ball out of either position and makes a lot of plays on the football on film. He is a really solid open field tackler and is a valuable member of the special teams unit at the high school level because of it. That could be where he breaks on to the scene with the Tar Heels while they figure where he will fit best in their defensive backfield.
With the commitment, the Tar Heels have their eighth commitment of the class and their fifth in the month of June alone. The Tar Heel class jumps from No. 46 to No. 43 overall and slides ahead of Florida State in the cycle’s ACC rankings. This commitment along with 3✮ CB Tre Miller’s on Sunday sets the stage for what could be a huge week for the Tar Heels with three other targets set to announce their decisions over the next three days.