Just two days after picking up a commitment from 2016 defensive back D.J. Ford, North Carolina added another secondary prospect to its upcoming signing class on Tuesday when Alexandria, Virginia, native Patrice Rene pledged to the Tar Heels. Rene announced his decision via Twitter:
I am excited to announce that I will be a student athlete at The University of North Carolina!#IamATarHeel #GoHeels🐑 pic.twitter.com/hh9P7NPQoU
— DeuceUno (@PatriceRene21) January 20, 2016
Rene initially committed to Rutgers in August, but with the Scarlet Knights firing head coach Kyle Flood at the end of the 2015 season, Rene stayed in touch with UNC’s staff. The 6-2, 190-pound standout took an official visit to Chapel Hill over the weekend, and just hours after decommitting from Rutgers, he joined the Heels’ 2016 class.
Rene is ranked the No. 11 senior in his state on the 247Sports Composite, with UNC’s class as a whole now at No. 30 nationally in the composite team rankings.