North Carolina landed its second highly touted junior of the 2017 cycle on Saturday when McEachern, Georgia, standout Tyler Smith pledged to the Tar Heels. Smith is the second player in his class to commit to UNC, joining Burlington, North Carolina, offensive lineman Jonah Melton.
A 5-10, 185-pound prospect, Smith will add depth to a unit that loses a lot of talent in the next couple years. Current Tar Heels Quinshad Davis, Kendrick Singleton and Damien Washington will exhaust their eligibility at the end of this season, while Ryan Switzer, Mack Hollins and Bug Howard are projected to graduate after the 2016 season.
Smith is the latest of many Georgia natives to choose UNC during Larry Fedora’s time in Chapel Hill. Six of the team’s 20 commitments in the 2016 class hail from the Peach State, as do seven players from the program’s previous two signing classes.
The Powder Springs High School star is rated the No. 26 junior wide receiver in the country on the 247Sports Composite. With his commitment, the Tar Heels have two pledges who are ranked in the top 200 nationally in the class of 2017, as Melton is rated the No. 114 junior in the country.