After a hectic start to the offseason in Chapel Hill, the Heels finally were able to have a relatively quiet week following some commitments and transfer announcements early in the week. Here are this week’s storylines that you may have missed.
Former Player’s Son Commits to Carolina
The Heels added another wide receiver to their 2019 class on Saturday, this time in the form a preferred walk-on. This preferred walk-on is a bit different than most, however. Jeffrey Saturday, the son of former Tar Heel and NFL All-Pro center Jeff Saturday, will be joining the team this fall. His dad played his entire Carolina career under Mack Brown from 1994-1997. Now Saturday will have a chance to play on the same field that dad played on 22 years later. As a senior at Hebron Christian High School in Dacula, GA, Saturday finished the best year of his high school career with 55 receptions for 1,035 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named first team All-Region and All-County. Saturday is the second preferred walk-on to commit to the Heels in the 2019 class, as he’ll join linebacker Parks Cochrane who has already enrolled at Carolina and will go through spring camp.
Malik Carney and Cole Holcomb Have Solid Weeks at East-West Shrine Game
Two Tar Heels participated in the East-West Shrine game down in St. Petersburg this week. Carney was the one that impressed the most out of the two during the week of practice, as scouts liked Carney’s array of different pass-rushing techniques, as well as his ability to play both the 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 outside linebacker spots. Carney finished the game with two total tackles and a tackle for loss, while Holcomb finished the game with two total tackles of his own and had two pass deflections, as well. While neither guy will be mentioned amongst the standouts by most draft scouts, they both helped their draft stock this weekend, which is a positive for both guys.
Heels Closing In On Adding a Defensive Back to the 2019 Class
One of the most important needs remaining in the 2019 season class for the Heels is the defensive backfield, primarily the safety position. The good news for the Heels is that there is good news on the recruiting front in the secondary. Three defensive backs were on campus for official visits last Saturday and results have been positive. Right now, the Heels seem to be the favorites for 3✮ S Don Chapman and 3✮ CB Tavian Mayo following their official visits to campus. Fellow 3✮ CB Collin Duncan also seemed to thoroughly enjoy his visit and now hold the Heels in good standing, while 3✮ S Jamal Hill, who has not taken his official visit yet, has received multiple in-home visits from the coaching staff and is clearly an important target right now. The Heels would definitely like to land at least two of these players prior to February 6th’s late signing day with the lack of depth in the secondary. With everything this staff has done on the recruiting trail, it shouldn’t shock anyone to see the Heels land at least two players out of this group in the coming weeks.
2020 4✮ SDE Bingley-Jones Decommits from Florida
2020 4✮ SDE Kedrick Bingley-Jones decommitted earlier in the week following a visit to Chapel Hill last weekend. Bingley-Jones reportedly has loved what he has heard and seen from Coach Brown and his staff. The Heels have made significant progress in a 2020 class that was struggling under Fedora’s watch.