Jahvaree Ritzie, a 4-star defensive end, commits to North Carolina. This sounds like a broken record, but Mack Brown and UNC continue to clean-up with in-state recruiting as the Tar Heels build a historic 2021 recruiting class.
Ritzie, a 6-foot-5, 275-pound pass rusher, is the 16th commit in North Carolina’s 2021 recruiting class, which was No. 5 nationally. One of the top players in the state of North Carolina, 247 Sports rates Ritzie as the No. 63 overall prospect in the 2021 class. Ritzie also checks in as the No. 4 prospect in the state of North Carolina and a top five strong-side defensive end. (The 247 composite ranking slots Ritzie as the No. 142 overall prospect.)
A product of Glenn High School in Kernersville, N.C., Ritzie is prep teammates with 4-star linebacker RaRa Dillworth, also a UNC commit. Back in April, Dillworth committed to North Carolina over Alabama. Ritzie and Dillworth are two of the 11 4-star commits, currently, in North Carolina’s 2021 group.
Several SEC programs were among the finalists for Ritzie, too. In the end, Ritzie picked North Carolina over Tennessee, Ohio State, Georgia and South Carolina.
North Carolina’s recruiting efforts were led by Tim Cross, Ritzie’s future position coach, and offensive coordinator Phil Longo. As of right now, things are set for this to be a historical haul for Mack Brown and North Carolina.
Ritzie is the second in-state 4-star defensive end in the class, too; back in March, Keeshawn Silver pledged to North Carolina.
UNC already has commitments from six players ranked as top 12 prospects in the state of North Carolina. Ritzie would become the seventh. Clemson has commitments from two of those top 12 players: Zaire Patterson and Will Shipley.
Going forward, a name UNC fans should really start to keep eyes on — if they weren’t already — is Tony Grimes, a 5-star cornerback from the Tidewater area in Virginia. North Carolina, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ohio State make up his top five.