Friday kicks off what will be a quieter, but still important weekend for the Tar Heels on the recruiting with another round of official visits set with 2023 targets. This is just part of what has been a crazy last two weeks around Tar Heel football recruiting, which has seen some major targets set official visits and many others narrowing down their school lists. Here is a look at the latest recruiting storylines from the past two weeks.
Tar Heels Make Final Three, Schedule Official Visit with 2023 3✮ OT Luke Burgess
Burgess was another one of the major targets who took a major step in his recruitment last week as he cut his list down to a final three and scheduled official visits to each of those three. The Tar Heels will get the first crack this weekend before Florida State and Louisville take their swings in the next two weekends. According to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, the Tar Heels have some work to do, as they have the worst percentage chances right now. With the team’s strong standing with his high school teammate, 4✮ EDGE Joshua Mickens, a strong official visit could give them a legitimate shot to land his commitment when it’s all said and done.
3✮ LB Jeremiah Telander Heading to Campus for Official Visit
The Tar Heels had another target confirm that he will head to campus for an official visit this weekend on Thursday night. 2023 3✮ LB Jeremiah Telander will be amongst the group of targets who will be on campus this weekend, as the Tar Heels try to gain a little bit of traction in his recruitment again. They will get the first crack before Louisville and Tennessee, the perceived favorite, get the chances to make their pitches. The Tar Heels still have a chance to land this commitment if they want to, but they need a strong showing this weekend to have any chance to do just that.
Tar Heels A Part of 2023 4✮ WR Chris Culliver’s Top Six and Get Official Visit Scheduled
A few of the Tar Heels 2023 targets narrowed their lists down last week, but none bigger than in-state wide receiver target Chris Culliver. The 4✮ target from Maiden High School has the Tar Heels amongst his final six schools along with Virginia Tech, NC State, Ohio State, Florida State and Appalachian State. Right now, only the Tar Heels and Hokies have official visits scheduled for the month of June, pointing to them as the two favorites and as of right now, the On3 Sports Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Mack Brown and company the slight advantage. The Tar Heels will host him June 17-19.
4✮ WR Target Christian Hamilton Sets Official Visit to Campus
Culliver isn’t the only in-state wide receiver target that released some news regarding his recruitment. The 4✮ receiver announced last week that he will be taking official visits to both Chapel Hill and South Bend in the month of June. Notre Dame will get the first crack on the weekend of June 17th and the Tar Heels will follow that the next weekend to close out the month of June. Combined with his official stop at Texas A&M in early April, he will have taken an official visit to three of his top four schools according to the major recruiting sites. With Clemson being a team that doesn’t host official visits until the fall, this could be a chance for the Tar Heels to become the solid leader if they can host a strong visit to close out the summer before the dead period.
Tar Heels Amongst Five Remaining for 2023 4✮ LB Jordan Hall
Another one of the team’s top targets at the linebacker spots narrowed down his list this week to five ahead of a big month of official visits. The Tar Heels are joined by Florida, Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame in the top five and each school gets their crack at him starting this weekend. The Tar Heels will get the final crack of the five on that last weekend of June. Right now, the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine favors Michigan State and Florida over him right now, but this still feels like a pretty wide open recruitment where anyone could really come out of this with his commitment.
Tar Heels Land in 2023 3✮ LB Jordan Bass’ Top Five
The Tar Heels have continued their success in the state of Virginia in the 2023 class and amongst those who narrowed their lists down this week was another one of the team’s top targets from the state. The Tar Heels are joined by Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Boston College as teams that remain in the running for Bass, the No. 11 player in Virginia according to 247Sports. As of right now, Virginia is seen as the slight leader according to the On3 Sports Recruiting Prediction Machine, but it will be interesting to see if he starts scheduling his official visits and which schools get those visits.
Tar Heels in the Top Seven for 2023 3✮ CB Brice Pollock
The Tar Heels offered Pollock on Thursday and by Saturday he had already placed them in his top seven. The Tar Heels are joined by Georgia Tech, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt as the group that will still be challenging for his commitment moving forward. It’s hard to tell where the Tar Heel staff places him in the pecking order of the cornerbacks that they have offered in this class but it gives the team the option if they want to pursue him.
2023 4✮ QB Commit Tad Hudson Adds Name to June 24th Visitor List
Hudson is the longest standing commitment that the Tar Heels have in the 2023 class and he announced when he will take his official visit to campus on Wednesday. He joins a loaded group of major targets that will be on campus in that final weekend of June for his official visit, a big boost for the Tar Heels. This visit will give the Tar Heels another person that can help recruit the targets that will be on their official visits, something that can only help the Tar Heels chances.
Tar Heels to Host 2023 3✮ IOL DJ Geth Next Week
Geth was also a part of a massive group of targets who set their official visit dates with the Tar Heels. The Carolina legacy (former Tar Heel basketball player Ed Geth is his father) will be on campus starting next Wednesday through next Friday, as the Tar Heels try to regain some momentum in a recruitment that has shifted in recent offer South Carolina’s favor. Geth will officially visit Columbia in the final weekend of the month, so it will be important for the Tar Heels to leave a lasting impression since they won’t get the last shot here this summer.
Tar Heels Set to Host 3✮ TE Target in a Couple of Weeks
Another one of the team’s offensive targets set an official visit to Chapel Hill on Thursday afternoon. 2023 3✮ TE Julien Randolph of Ashburn, VA will be on campus on the weekend of June 17th for an official visit with the team following an unofficial visit in mid-May. The Tar Heels appear to be in the best spot for him right now following his decommitment from Vanderbilt back in early May. As of right now, the Tar Heels appear to be the only school receiving an official this summer, something that would be extremely encouraging for the team’s chances to land his commitment if that holds.
Tar Heels In Top Seven for 4✮ OT Oluwatosin Babalade
One of the Tar Heels official visitors from a couple of weekends ago officially narrowed his list down earlier this week. The Tar Heels, Maryland, Michigan, NC State, Ohio State, Rutgers and South Carolina are those left to battle in this one. Babalade officially visited Chapel Hill May 20-22 and he still has trips to South Carolina (June 10-12) and Rutgers (June 21-23).
3✮ OT Koby Keenum Keeps Tar Heels in Race That’s Down to Five Schools
Keenum was another target who cut his list down in the past two weeks, doing so this past Thursday. The Tar Heels are one of five remaining for him, joined by Kentucky, Louisville, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. As of right now, Keenum is not scheduled to make a stop in Chapel Hill this summer, with only Louisville and Kentucky slate for officials. Considering that Keenum has never taken a visit to Chapel Hill it is pivotal that the Tar Heel staff gets him on campus.
Tar Heels Crack 3✮ CB Cameren Fleming’s Top Eight
Fleming was amongst the group that narrowed down his recruitment on Thursday, releasing the list of his final eight schools. The Tar Heels are one of those eight along with Florida State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and West Virginia. This recruitment seems like it still has a little ways to go with no official visits currently scheduled for this summer, but the Tar Heels has to feel pretty good with where they stand at this point in the recruitment.
4✮ EDGE AJ Hoffler Sets Official Visit to Chapel Hill
Hoffler is not someone that the Tar Heels have been tied to so far during this process, but it was definitely notable that he added his name to the loaded group of players who will take an official visit on that final weekend in June. Right now the Tar Heels are one of just two are publicly scheduled to receive an official visit this month, which is certainly interesting, so it is at least worth monitoring him moving forward.