North Carolina Tar Heels

UNC Recruiting Roundup: Updates on football, basketball programs for 12/2

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Nov 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams against the Tulane Green Wave during the second half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. North Carolina defeated Tulane 95-75. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Football season is winding down while basketball season is just heating up

The North Carolina football team just completed what many would consider to be a disappointing regular season. The 8-4 Tar Heels now await a bowl invitation to find out who and where they will be playing.

Between now and then, there are a lot of things going on at UNC including a possible coaching change, the probable early departure of starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky and several heated recruiting battles.

As UNC transitions from the gridiron to the hardwood, take a look at some of the recruiting battles that are taking place as we approach the end of 2016.

UNC coaching staff makes in-home visit to three-star commit Malik Robinson

Three-star linebacker Malik Robinson was visited by the UNC coaching staff on Monday afternoon. Robinson committed to the Tar Heels in April of this year and is one of 17 members of their 2017 recruiting class.

Robinson recently took unofficial visits to Chapel Hill in late November to take in UNC football games.

The 6-foot, 223-pound prospect was offered a scholarship by Indiana in September, six months after committing to UNC. Despite the offer, as well as previous offers from Auburn, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami and Notre Dame, he remains a firm commitment for Larry Fedora’s Tar Heels.

With imminent losses coming on the defensive side of the football, it’s possible that Robinson sees playing time right away.

Top-50 recruit set to visit Chapel Hill before making college decision

Five-star safety Devon Hunter is the top recruit visiting UNC this weekend. He’s an elite talent that could immediately impact the Tar Heels secondary, and defensive unit as a whole.

Hunter’s five finalists are Alabama, Auburn, Florida, UNC, and Virginia Tech. Of those schools, North Carolina and Virginia Tech are the only two that he will be visiting before making his decision on Christmas Eve.

Hunter has made multiple trips to both campuses, but it’s still unknown if there is a true favorite at this point.

His good friend Dazz Newsome was offered by Virginia Tech earlier in the week, which some believe could help sway his decision to go there over Carolina and others.

Whoever lands the talented defensive back will have a sure-fire starter from day one. Hunter has everything it takes to be a difference-maker at the next level, despite where he chooses to go.

Four-star prospect set to visit UNC after decommitment from Tennessee

North Carolina tight ends coach Chad Scott made an in-home visit to four-star athlete C.J. Cotman this week. During the visit, Cotman scheduled an official visit to Chapel Hill which is set for December 9th through the 11th.

Cotman recently decommitted from the University of Tennessee after reevaluating the decision with his family and deciding to reopen his recruitment. The Vols lost two other recruits the same day, brothers Breyon and Brandon Gaddy.

Cotman is high on the UNC coaching staff and their pursuit of him, noting that they never gave up on him even when he was committed to Tennessee.

“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.”

Cotman also has interest in Miami and Kentucky but has not set official visits to either school.

Four-star cornerback receives in-home visit from UNC coaching staff

UNC defensive backs coach Charlton Warren was in Los Angeles to visit Deommodore Lenoir, a talented four-star cornerback from the class of 2017.

At one point, before he reopened his recruitment, Lenoir was committed to the University of Oregon. Then uncertainty surrounding the football program began to swirl around the college football world. Soon after, head coach Mark Helfrich was fired.

After committing to Oregon in June, Lenoir decommitted from the program some six months later. Now he’s going through the process again and picking up right where he left off.

Before pledging to Oregon, Lenoir had narrowed his list of possible schools to Alabama, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, San Diego State, UCLA and USC.

With a list that includes names like that, it won’t be easy for the Tar Heels to lure him in. If they could though, they’d be getting one of the best cornerbacks in the class of 2017 to join a UNC secondary that includes Tre’ Shaw and Traivon Leonard.

Tar Heels visit three-star all-purpose back from class of 2017

Darrian Felix recently received an in-home visit from UNC running backs coach Larry Porter. It apparently went pretty well, given that Felix scheduled an official visit to UNC for the coming weekend.

He’s previously taken official visits to Tennessee and Oregon, but shares the same uncertainty about the Ducks as fellow 2017 prospect Deommodore Lenoir.

Felix is a talented athlete with experience at the cornerback and running back positions. He is considered the No. 7 all-purpose back in the 2017 class.

Four-star prospects Navaughn Donaldson and Carmoni Green will visit UNC

Navaughn Donaldson and Carmoni Green, teammates at Miami Central High School, are already committed to Miami and Illinois, respectively. However, both intend to burn their remaining official visits to other schools before finalizing their college choices.

Donaldson has been committed to Miami for over a year and hasn’t flipped his decision despite trips to in-state schools Florida and Florida State. He’s a talented offensive lineman that would provide skill and depth to the Tar Heels’ roster next season.

Green has taken official visits to Utah and Washington State, but remains pledged to Illinois. He’s a talented wide receiver who would greatly benefit the Tar Heels since they are losing seniors Mack Hollins and Ryan Switzer.

Each player will finish their official visits before making one final visit to the school they are currently committed to. It’s highly likely that both follow through with their aforementioned commitments.

Jarred Vanderbilt taking visits, getting closer to a decision

In a desperate attempt to find talented big men, the Tar Heels continue to push hard for five-star small forward Jarred Vanderbilt.

The 6-foot-8, 200-pound prospect has loads of talent and a lot to offer a UNC program that is set to lose five seniors, two of which are starters, after the 2016-17 season. The potential is also there to lose junior starters Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson to the NBA.

Vanderbilt became a priority for Roy Williams and the UNC coaching staff as the Tar Heels continued to miss on other five-star recruits like Jeremiah Tilmon, P.J. Washington, Wendell Carter and most likely, Kevin Knox.

Vanderbilt is currently considering Arizona, Houston, Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon, TCU and Texas.

Little needs to be said about what Kentucky has to offer the soon-to-be freshman. Vanderbilt has ties to the TCU coaching staff. And the other schools on his list are premier programs with plenty to offer to talented big man.

Truthfully, it’ll be tough for the Tar Heels to snag Vanderbilt. If they do though, they’ll have an immensely important and versatile piece to plug into next year’s roster that is likely to be lacking star-power.

UNC commit Coby White is the No. 1 player in the state of North Carolina

UNC commit Coby White is the top player in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2018 according to Prep Hoops North Carolina.

Prep Hoops North Carolina is one of three major recruiting services in North Carolina, along with NC Preps and Phenom Hoop Report. On Tuesday, Prep Hoops released its updated 2017 class rankings which ranks UNC commit Brandon Huffman as the state’s fourth best player in the senior class.

White, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound combo guard committed to UNC in July just days after Roy Williams offered him a scholarship. In the time since, White has performed well and his stock continues to rise.

Fellow 2018 commit Rechon Black, formerly the No. 1 player in the state, transferred to Montverde Academy near Orlando, Florida and is no longer eligible for the North Carolina rankings.

In earning the top spot in the rankings, White beat out another highly-touted prospect in point guard Devon Dotson who is also being recruited by Roy Williams and the UNC coaching staff.

Kevin Knox gives updates on his recruitment via blog

Elite 2017 small forward Kevin Knox offered updates about his recruitment through his personal blog earlier this week.

Knox gave updates regarding his high school team, how he performed in games and about the process to make his college decision. He also mentioned personal goals like winning a state championship and breaking his high school’s scoring record.

Knox reaffirmed his decision to wait until basketball season is over to make a commitment.

“I’m still looking at committing after the season though. I’m gonna get out to some games this year and see how the teams do” Knox said. “I’ve got two officials to FSU and Kentucky in January then I’ll finish it off in February at North Carolina. I’m looking forward to all of them.”

Knox is a consensus top-10 recruit and one of the most coveted prospects in the class of 2017. As of now, Duke is the overwhelming favorite to land the five-star small forward.

North Carolina will lose a number of players after the 2016-17 season and would immediately be able to offer Knox extensive minutes and a starting role on next year’s team.

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