The Tar Heels are really feeling it on the 2024 recruiting trail and they continued building on that momentum on Friday.
Just moments ago, 2024 3✮ S Jalon Thompson announced via live stream on Instagram that he was committing to the Tar Heels over UCF, Pittsburgh and others. The Tar Heel staff made an aggressive push for him back in the spring, firmly establishing themselves as a contender for him late in May. Thompson took his official visit to Chapel Hill back in the second weekend of last month and it appeared to put the Tar Heels over the top.
Thompson, the No. 63 safety in the class according to 247Sports Composite player rankings, is preparing for his final season at Olympia High School in Orlando, FL. This past year, he finished with 17 total tackles and two interceptions and six passes defensed while splitting his time between corner and safety. He was also impactful on special teams, returning two kicks for touchdowns and blocking two punts.
Thompson gives the Tar Heels another versatile piece in this defensive backfield class. The all-region track runner has really good speed that shows up on his tape, especially when in 1-on-1 coverage. He had nice success in both man and zone coverage wherever he played and he does a tremendous job of making plays on the football. He isn’t doesn’t show up a lot in run defense as a safety, but he makes enough of an impact there for someone who plays outside corner. Figuring out where he fits best will take time, but with his speed and nose for the football, he will have a chance to make an impact early on special teams.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels are up to 23 in their 2024 class. The class moves up one spot in the 247Sports Composite team rankings overall class rankings to 17th and jump back over Miami in the ACC rankings into second.