February National Signing Day is a shell of what it used to be with the implementation of the early signing period, but, unlike last year, there was a little bit excitement for the Tar Heels on Signing Day 2021.
Just a few moments ago, 2021 3✮ CB Dontae Balfour announced his commitment to Mack Brown and Tar Heels over longtime favorites Auburn and a team in LSU that attempted to make a late push similar to the one that the Tar Heels made. Balfour, who just concluded his senior season at Bradford High School in Starke, FL, finishes his prep career with 201 total tackles, 14 interceptions and 12 pass deflections. As a senior this year, Balfour had a nice season, tallying 77 total tackles, four interceptions and two pass deflections on the way to earning first team All-Area honors. His most productive season, though, was his junior season where he finished with 52 total tackles, seven interceptions and eight pass deflections, but only finished with second team All-Area honors. Balfour also had some nice numbers for the team as a sophomore, racking up 72 total tackles, three interceptions and six pass deflections. He also finished his high school career with 42 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, all of which came in his final two seasons.
Balfour is a defensive playmaker that can cause turnovers, something the Tar Heels are wanting to do more of. He has tremendous quickness and closes space quickly to make plays on the football and in open space. He has a little bit of flexibility in where you can put him defensively, although outside corner is probably where his brightest future is at. He doesn’t play as much man coverage as some of the other corners the Tar Heels have signed in the last couple of seasons, but he looks good in the man coverage reps he has on tape. He has pretty fluid hips and there are not going to be many receivers that will be able to beat him deep with the speed that he possesses. There is a lot to like about Balfour and don’t be shocked if he is able to make some noise on the outside in the next few years.
Balfour puts a final bow on what is one of the greatest recruiting classes in program history. The class of 19 commits currently sits 14th in the nation and 3rd in the ACC according to 247Sports Composite team rankings, an extremely solid class for a team that is attempting to build themselves into a national competitor. The staff will now look to parlay that success into the 2022 class, where they are already off to a great start.