From a recruiting standpoint, the month of June has been as good as the North Carolina Tar Heels could’ve hoped. During a five-day span, UNC football netted seven commitments, including their first two from the Class of 2019 alone.
Things got off on a high note with a verbal from four-star quarterback Tyler Shough out of Arizona, plus another signal caller in three-star Jace Ruder, a native of Kansas. It definitely didn’t hurt their pitch seeing previous starting triggerman Mitch Trubisky get taken with the second overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. They also landed trio of three-star defensive backs in Trey Morrison, Javon Terry and DeAndre Hollis.
But arguably the most significant takeaway from the flurry of commitments for the Tar Heels was getting back in the neighboring state of Virginia for long-term talent. Hakeem Beamon, a defensive end from L.C. Bird in Chesterfield, and cornerback Jayden Curry out of Virginia Beach’s Bayside are both rising juniors that spurned other offers – with a strong likelihood of several more on the way – by selecting UNC.
Curry and Beamon were among the many standouts that attended Fedora’s Freak Show, an annual camp that generates plenty of buzz as prospects put their skills on display in front of the coaching staff.
In Beamon’s case, he mentioned how some great pass rushers of the past such as Julius Peppers and Lawrence Taylor – out of Williamsburg in Virginia – flourished playing for the Heels. He likes the defensive outlook under new d-line coach Deke Adams.
New secondary coach Terry Joseph has helped in the Heels solidifying their situation at defensive back for the future. Curry is a strong, physical corner not afraid to come up in run support and hit someone. Having family ties to the Chapel Hill area turned out to be something he weighed heavily in arriving at the decision to commit early.
DeAndre Smith, who was hired by the Heels in February as running backs coach, is one of the primary figures in UNC beefing up its recruiting efforts in the fertile Tidewater and Richmond areas of Virginia.
“Coach Smith definitely said we have to put our stamp here,” Bayside head football coach Jon White recalled. “Virginia Tech and UVA are doing so, Florida is doing so and so is Clemson. He said we have to also.”
It was evident on Signing Day when UNC lured Hampton High multi-faceted standout Dazz Newsome away from Virginia Tech. Getting a commitment back in May from four-star Benedictine defensive end Chris Collins over other ACC suitors was further evidence of their plans.
Look for UNC to continue to identify some of the best prospects in Virginia, and to continue that trend it means hitting up some of the premier prep programs such as Bishop Sullivan, Dinwiddie, Highland Springs and Oscar Smith, among others.
After all, two of top defensive players on the UNC roster right now hail from the Northern Virginia area with defensive back M.J. Stewart from Yorktown High School and defensive end Malik Carney – their sack leader a season ago with 5.5 – out of Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School.