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UNC Recruiting Roundup: Updates on baseball, basketball and football
Jan 9, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams gives direction to his team during the first half of a game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. North Carolina won 84-73. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Roy Williams is busy on the recruiting trail and Larry Fedora continues to recruit hard despite rumors of his possible departure
The job never ends for a Division I head coach and it extends far beyond the hardwood or gridiron.
Roy Williams has been on numerous visits over the last week, despite having a 10-win basketball team that’s preparing to play No. 6 Kentucky on Saturday.
And Larry Fedora, amid swirling rumors of his possible departure, has been working tirelessly to solidify the future of his football team.
Take a look at all of the happenings of the recruiting world this week as it pertains to the University of North Carolina.
2017 commit Ashton McGee makes it official, signs with UNC
2017 UNC baseball commit Ashton McGee is so ready to be in Chapel Hill that he is graduating high school early and enrolling for college in January. Once he does, he plans to play for the Tar Heels in the spring.
McGee signed his National Letter of Intent last Friday in the Aycock media center of Charles B. Aycock High School in Pikesville, North Carolina.
Congrats to @AshtonnM05 for signing with @DiamondHeels. He will be enrolling in January. pic.twitter.com/V816YeZzR4
— The Aycock Baseball (@AycockBaseball1) December 9, 2016
“That’s the plan,” McGee told the Wilson Times on Friday after signing his National Letter of Intent. “I’m really excited about it and I think it’s a big opportunity I really can’t pass up. I’m going to go there and play in the spring season”
McGee is unsure of what position he’ll be playing at UNC, but does feel confident that he will get playing time right away.
“I don’t think it’ll be a redshirt but I’ll have to go in there and earn a spot,” he said. “I can’t just be given a spot but I’m going to go in there, work hard and see what happens.”
UNC commit Antwuan Branch named East vs West All-star game MVP
North Carolina commit Antwuan Branch was named the MVP of the Toyota East vs. West All-Star Classic that was held last Friday at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium.
The 6-foot, 208-pound running back gained 87 yards on the ground and scored on a pair of touchdown runs in the third quarter, propelling the West to a 45-21 victory over the East.
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— Antwuan Branch 3⃣ (@KingBranch3) November 16, 2016
Branch is a three-star prospect out of Kenwood High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. He’s the 42nd best running back in the class and the 24th best prospect in the state of Tennessee according to the 247Sports Composite ranking.
Former UNC commit Kyree Campbell is headed to Florida
Former UNC 2016 commit Kyree Campbell has found a home in Gainesville with the University of Florida and can begin playing football as early as next season.
3???? DT Kyree Campbell commits to Florida pic.twitter.com/ckKGJLLmTS
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) December 11, 2016
Campbell, a 6-foot-5, 320-pound defensive tackle committed to North Carolina in the summer of 2015 but was later notified that his admission to the school had been denied.
The university gave him the option of attending a junior college until meeting eligibility requirements, but Campbell didn’t want to risk spending two years of college eligibility before transferring to a four-year institution.
The first-team All-State player instead attended a prep school during the fall semester where he was able to raise his grades in hopes of transferring to a Division I school in January of 2017.
Campbell is now committed to Florida and on track to participate in football activities at the start of the new season.
C.J. Cotman has North Carolina at the top of his list
North Carolina is actively pursuing class of 2017 athlete C.J. Cotman and according to speculation, the Tar Heels may be leading the pack.
Cotman, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound athlete recently decommitted from the University of Tennessee when they pulled his scholarship. He was immediately linked to UNC due to the relationship he and the team had built during his initial recruitment.
Because of that relationship, and the Tar Heels’ reluctancy to give up on Cotman once he had committed to Tennessee, he’s extremely high on UNC and its coaching staff.
“I love how the coaches stay in contact and show love,” he said. “They all pretty much stayed in contact with me and never stopped recruiting me. They never gave up, even after I committed to UT.”
Although his position in college is unknown at this point, it’s likely that he would play at wide receiver or defensive back for the Tar Heels.
Roy Williams in Texas to visit Jarred Vanderbilt
Roy Williams was in El Paso, Texas last Thursday for the McDonald’s Classic Basketball Tournament to watch 2017 prospect Jarred Vanderbilt.
Williams surprised fans in attendance at Eastwood High School when he arrived to take in the contest between Victory Prep and Balboa City. He stopped to take pictures with a number of fans, including Eastwood head football coach Julio Lopez, before the game began.
The Hall-of-Fame coach has been heavily pursuing Vanderbilt and hopes to add his size and skill to a 2017 recruiting class that has only one top-50 recruit.
The 6-foot-8, 215-pound small forward is a consensus five-star athlete and the No. 2 player in the state of Texas. Most projections have him choosing Kentucky or TCU, but Roy Williams and the UNC coaching staff hope to throw a wrench into those predictions.
Roy Williams in attendance for Sterling Manley’s big game
Roy Williams was in the building last Friday to see UNC commit Sterling Manley as Pickerington Central faced off against Pickerington North.
Pickerington Central won the game by a score of 59-48 and Manley performed well in front of his future head coach. He ended the night with 22 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks – four of which came during a 30-second time span early in the game.
Manley, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound power forward is part of UNC’s four-man recruiting class of 2017. Along with Manley, the Tar Heels will welcome in fellow big man Brandon Huffman, shooting guard Andrew Platek and five-star combo guard Jalek Felton.
Given the losses that UNC will see in its front court over the next year, Manley has an opportunity to play big minutes from the time he gets on campus.
Roy Williams visits 2018 commit Rechon Black, 2019 prospect R.J. Barrett
On the final leg of his recruiting trip before returning home to Chapel Hill, Roy Williams stopped at Montverde, Florida to watch 2018 UNC commit Rechon Black and 2019 prospect R.J. Barrett.
Black, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound point guard committed to UNC nearly a year ago and makes up one-half of its 2018 recruiting class that also boasts elite combo guard Coby White.
Barrett is the No. 2-ranked player in the class of 2019 and is currently being recruited by the likes of Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oregon, UCLA and USC, among others.
North Carolina is looking to get back to the elite recruiting days it saw in years past and getting a commitment from Barrett would go a long way to doing that.
Elite 2018 shooting guard Romeo Langford receives a visit from Roy Williams
According to ESPN’s Paul Biancardi, Roy Williams was set to be at New Albany High School on Monday evening to see elite 2018 prospect Romeo Langford. The information was passed along to Biancardi by Langford’s head coach, Jim Shannon.
While we do not yet have confirmation that the visit took place or how the meeting went, we do know that Williams has prioritized Langford in recent months, determined to get an elite shooter from the class of 2018.
Langford, a 6-foot-5, 191-pound shooting guard, is a consensus five-star prospect and the No. 1 shooting guard in the 2018 class. UNC currently has two players from the 2018 class committed; Rechon Black and Coby White.
The addition of Langford to Black and White would give the Tar Heels one of the most formidable young back courts in the country.
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