Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Set to Host Penn State CB Decommit This Weekend

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The Tar Heels have been looking to capitalize on the firing of multiple head coaches from around the country and one of those targets that they are working hard to flip is officially back on the board.

2026 3✮ CB Julian Peterson announced on Wednesday afternoon that he was decommitting from Penn State after James Franklin was dismissed from his head coaching role by the program last week. Peterson had been committed to the Nittany Lions since late January.

His decommitment comes after he made an announcement earlier in this week that he will be officially visiting Chapel Hill this weekend for the Tar Heels game against Virginia. He’ll be part of a trio of prospects that the team will be attempting to flip this weekend along with Florida OT commits Tyler Chukuyem and Chancellor Campbell.

Peterson, the No. 630 overall prospect and No. 51 cornerback in the 2026 class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, is in the midst of his senior season at Winslow Township High School in Atco, NJ. So far this season, he has collected 21 total tackles, 2.0 tackle for loss, 1.0 sack and one pass deflection. Last year, as a junior, he racked up 10 total tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss and one pass deflection.

Right now, the Tar Heels seem to have an early advantage being the first team to host him for an official visit, but he has had a wave of new teams hand him offers to go along with the ones that he already had. The hope is that this staff can do enough this weekend to complete the flip, but that is far from a guarantee.