HeelsBlog.Com: Read. Recap. React.

Heels get Signing Day Boost

jtw3 — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:06:00 -0500

So today was National Signing Day for college football recruits. The Heels did well. I've seen our class ranked as high as #24 in the nation and #4 in the ACC.

It's definitely the best class of North Carolina schools, so that looks good to the in-state players and coaches. Building your core from in-state players is key, especially for a state-supported university.

Check out video and stats of our signees at TarHeelBlue.

The two big names you'll hear most immediately are Jarrell Miller, from Virginia, and Aleric Mullins, who played his senior season at East Wake. Miller committed in January at the Army All-American Bowl, but was courted by schools like Virginia and Virginia Tech up until today. Mullins chose Carolina over Auburn and Tennessee.

I heard Roy Williams and Tyler Hansbrough were called in to help recruit Mullins during his official visit last weekend, so that really shows you how closely the two programs run together. Hansbrough played high school basketball against Mullins.

I am very excited about the class recruited by John Bunting and company, and hope you'll welcome them to Kenan Stadium with open arms.

One more thought: Tommy Thigpen has been named several times as the big reason these defensive recruits are swayed to Carolina. What a great addition to the staff he has been. Already paying dividends on the recruiting trail.

Vince Wilson transferring

jtw3 — Thu, 04 Aug 2005 17:16:00 -0400

http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/418825.html

Sophomore Vince Wilson, the only Tar Heel with tailback experience, has decided to transfer. I don't know what's going on with Vince, but I wish him the best. I had high hopes for Vince backing up Barrington Edwards at the running back spot.

“Vince Wilson has got some things he’s got to do to improve and show that he belongs on that field,” Bunting said. “No. 1, he’s got to know what to do. He’s a tough kid. He’s physical despite his size; we saw that on special teams. He’s got to learn how to be involved in all the pass protections. He’s got to learn to catch the ball well. He’s got to learn to do the things on and off the field that I expect from our football players.”

From what Bunting said, there must have been some other issues going on with Vince. He had a chance to make some noise this year, and maybe he recognized the talent coming in 2006 at that spot.

Class of 2006 gets boost

jtw3 — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 22:08:00 -0400

John Bunting has hit the ground running in recruiting the class of 2006. Shaun Draughn, a running back from Tarboro, committed to the program in June.
According to the above-linked article, Draughn is the 7th committment to date from the class, which will sign letters of intent in February.

Bias aside, Coach Bunting is dominating in-state recruiting, and setting the tone to make North Carolina THE in-state school that recruits should list.

Running backs; Montross still committed

jtw3 — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 22:55:00 -0400

The Tar Heels got an in-state committment at tailback from Shaun Draughn of Tarboro, who looks like a good catch. Missed 3 games last year yet still had over 1000 yards and 'about 25' touchdowns.
So who's in the backfield for 2005? With Ronnie hurt, it only gets harder. I believe it will look something like this:
1. Barrington Edwards (RS Soph)
2. Vince Wilson (Soph)
3. Richie Rich (Fresh)
4. James 'Cooter' Arnold (Fresh)
I think Antwain Carey (Soph) will be on the other side of the ball somewhere, though I may be wrong. So we're defnitely young in the backfield. It's going to be an interesting season...

Eric Montross continues to be committed to Carolina, 11 years after graduation. Wick Smith wrote a fantastic article on what Montross continues to do for the school. Check it out at Inside Carolina.

Heels add RB Waters; King Rice to Nebraska; NBA Draft news

jtw3 — Tue, 24 May 2005 23:40:00 -0400

The football Tar Heels added R.J. Waters, a running back from Virginia that was apparently a late qualifier. Linked above is a story about Waters and Joe Dailey, the Nebraska QB that transferred to North Carolina.

Speaking of the Cornhuskers, King Rice will join the Nebraska coaching staff. Good for King. One of my earliest Tar Heel memories is of him hitting the game-winning shot to cap a comeback against James Madison in an early-season tournament game. I think it was in Maui. He, Rick Fox, and Pete Chilcutt formed the triumvirate that set the foundation for my Tar Heel fanaticism.
I have blurry memories of Lebo, Reid, Bucknall and Madden, but I really came into my own as a fan during the Rice-Fox-Chilcutt days.

Here's an interesting excerpt from that article:

While Illinois State had a strong run during Rice's tenure, including Missouri Valley Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and '98, his stay there was marred by an incident in 1997 that left him serving a one-game suspension for leaving the bench in a home game against Northern Iowa to confront a fan in the stands.

In an Associated Press story from Jan. 11, 1997, Illinois State's coach at the time, Kevin Stallings, called it "an unfortunate and disturbing incident. While I can appreciate how difficult it is to listen to biting criticism, it is never appropriate to engage argumentatively with our fans or to leave the bench area to deal with issues of this nature."

I don't remember hearing about this. But on that note, who gets so excited about an Illinois State basketball game that a coach has to run into the stands? Is the atmosphere that electric?

Good luck to King in his coaching ventures at Nebraska and further down the road.

Andy Katz says the Milwaukee Bucks will select either Andrew Bogut or Marvin Williams with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. I know what you think of Andy Katz. I'm just the messenger. Charlotte will pick #5 and #13. I'm hoping they grab a Tar Heel, else I'll just give up on the NBA entirely.

It's Wayne's World; Heels get transfer QB

jtw3 — Mon, 23 May 2005 23:51:00 -0400

Wayne Ellington, the 6-5 SG from Episcopal Academy ranked #1 in his class at his position, will reportedly head to North Carolina.
This is great news. The #1 PG, the #1 SG, what more is to come? This is shaping up to be a class on par with 2002.
In Roy we trust.

Nebraska's 2004 starting QB Joe Dailey will transfer to North Carolina. The Huskers were 5-6 with Dailey under center as a sophomore. I don't know much about the situation, but I'd imagine Dailey was recruited by Frank Solich. Perhaps Callahan and he didn't see eye to eye on the offense. Still, Nebraska is Nebraska, and I'm sure Dailey will push Cameron Sexton and Roger Heinz for the starting job in fall 2006.

Sorry I haven't been updating. Been dealing with some computer glitches.

Special thanks to the News & Observer's Tar Heel BlogWatch for sending some folks my way. If you're here via the N&O, check out all the aspects of our site. Stay a while.

Thanks for reading, as always.

Over 100 early-entries; Football Heels pick up big in-state commit

jtw3 — Thu, 19 May 2005 23:09:00 -0400

This is ridiculous. Over 100 basketball players have given up at least some college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Some of them want to try to beat the age limit. Some of them have big dreams. Some of them are kidding themselves.

The NBA has broken off collective bargaining agreement talks, meaning we may see a lockout starting June 1. I don't think they'll let the NBA turn into the new NHL, but we could see an abbreviated season. Oh, the irony.

Havelock's Bruce Carter committed to the football Heels this week, too. He plays quarterback for the Rams, but will probably be tried in the secondary in Chapel Hill. Another pickup that will help in-state down the line.

Late to the Kendric Burney party

jtw3 — Wed, 18 May 2005 21:59:00 -0400

I've been meaning to post about this kid for a few days, and now I'm getting around to it. SW Onslow's Kendric Burney has committed to play baseball and football for the Tar Heels.
Several things struck me in reading about Burney. Not only does he play three sports for his high school team, but he started at quarterback and cornerback. Wow. Some other things:

While Burney will play football under John Bunting and baseball under Mike Fox, it was another UNC coach that helped sway the 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior.

"Roy Williams wrote me a not telling me how much I would mean to Carolina," Burney recalled. "When I saw it I didn't know what to do. My eyes just blew up."

Wow. Talk about interoperability. Working together, I mean. This kid's not going to play basketball, yet Coach Williams took the time to write him a note about his potential for the gridiron and diamond Heels. Kudos there.

"I'm gonna go in there with the mentality that I still have a lot of work to do," Burney said regarding the football team. "Go in there thinking I want to take someone's position, get the ins and outs. I have to learn a lot before I can be considered a good cornerback or wherever coach puts me."

This is the kind of kid we need to grab. In-state players that grew up watching the Tar Heels and want to be a part of something great.
And the icing on the cake?

"Baseball, I'm very excited about that. I've been following Carolina baseball for about five years now. Coach Fox and (assistant coach Chad) Holbrook are just amazing. It can't get any better. I see Carolina winning the national championship at least two times in the next five years."

Here's hoping!

FSUche

jtw3 — Tue, 17 May 2005 23:22:00 -0400

So Uche Echefu decided on Florida State. He went with the team that recruited him over three years.

Echefu was the last best recruit in the class of 2005, and would have added much-needed depth in the post. And I hate that we missed out on him. However, it's only a bad thing in the short-term.
Echefu would have taken up a scholarship that can now be used in 06 or 07.

Yes, the Heels will struggle in the frontcourt next year. But there is hope on the horizon.
Roy will get one of the top forwards in the class of 2006. I think Uche saw that and got a little intimidated looking at the potential depth chart.

For Carolina, Echefu would have been a piece of the puzzle.
For Florida State, he's the whole puzzle altogether.

Good luck to him. No hard feelings, but I hope he enjoys the ACC basement.

Vote for Kory

jtw3 — Mon, 16 May 2005 18:57:00 -0400

You all remember Kory Bailey. A Durham native, he was one of the best and most consistent receivers in recent Carolina football history. He spent some time in the CFL as an Edmonton Eskimo.

Well he's back in Chapel Hill running some clubs and pretty much being an entrepreneur. In fact, he's a finalist on a show on Fox 50 called 'Entrepreneurs.' From what I understand, it's kind of like a local 'Apprentice.' But the winner gets to head an international business.
Ever been to Avalon? That's Kory's club. His group owns WB Yeats as well. I spent some time at their Open Mic nights back in my heyday.

Anyway, vote for Kory today and every day at this link.

I talked to Kory today. He's always come across as a good guy and he did some great things for UNC football. Let's help him out.

Heels get #1 2006 PG Tywon Lawson

jtw3 — Thu, 12 May 2005 21:56:00 -0400

Roy's hitting the road directly after the national championship game is beginning to pay off: Today, Tywon Lawson announced he will be a Heel in the fall of 2006.

Lawson averaged 16 points and 8.2 assists this season in helping Oak Hill go 34-2 and finish No. 1 nationally in USA Today?s final high-school rankings. Lawson is known as a point guard who races the ball down the floor and sets a torrid playing tempo.

So Lawson had a hand in about 32 points per game as the Oak Hill PG. I love to combine the points and assists and check out a point guard that way.

Lawson will push then-veteran Quentin Thomas, and hopefully won't have the pressure to come in and start right away. Now, let's grab his Oak Hill teammate Kevin Durant. Love that Oak Hill pipeline!

Here's Rob Harrington's Top 50 from USA Today of the rising seniors. Guys you ought to look out for from that list (besides Lawson) are Kevin Durant, Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young, Spencer Hawes, and Wayne Ellington.

I don't get into recruiting too much until something's official, but it is exciting to look down the line.

Interesting story on Nigerian players; Rashanda

jtw3 — Wed, 11 May 2005 13:15:00 -0400

Here's a neat piece on three players from Nigeria, and how they came to the States to play high school basketball. One of the players mentioned is Uche Echefu, a forward prospect who will graduate this year. Roy Williams is hot on his trail, and the Heels are definitely in the mix to add to this year's class.

Rashanda McCants joins the Tar Heels' Women's basketball team this fall, just after her brother helped the men to the national championship. The Orlando Sentinel named Rashanda to their All-Southern team.
Here's an interesting excerpt:

But while one McCants prepares to enroll in Chapel Hill, the other is making preparations to leave. Rashad has hired an agent, meaning he cannot change his mind about the NBA. Many North Carolina fans thought his sister might convince him to stay one more year.

I was one of those fans, I have to say. I hoped Rashad might want to be there for a year for Rashanda. Oh well.

P.S. Marvin has hired an agent. Here's wishing the best for a true future superstar. Once a Heel, always a Heel.
Unless your name is Mahktar Ndiaye.

The Weekend Wrap 3/7

jtw3 — Mon, 07 Mar 2005 18:02:00 -0500

Alright, alright. I know I didn’t write enough about yesterday’s game. I was exhausted. Emotionally and physically. The Tar Heels were on the ropes and got up to knock the Blue Devils on the canvas.

With three minutes to go, you were probably thinking the same thing I was. “How can we lose to Duke again? Why can’t we beat them?” I was resigned to driving home mad, depressed, and upset. All set to pay Carolina Alehouse for the chair I was ready to throw against the wall.

And then, it happened. The time was now, and the Heels got it done. Shut-down defense. Fearlessness. Drive. And clinching the ACC Championship in the biggest rivalry in sports. This is Carolina.

Sean May, Ladies and Gentlemen, is your ACC Player of the Year, and first team All-American. A combined 50 points/rebounds (26 and 24) is ridiculous against Shelden Williams and Duke.

I don’t know what else to say about that game, except that it feels great to get that monkey off our back.

I would be able to talk just about that game, if not for Chris Paul. He’s been suspended for one game, but that, quite simply, is not enough. For three reasons: 1) It was Julius Hodge’s senior night. I’m no Hodge fan, but he has meant a whole hell of a lot to N.C. State, and the ACC. Certainly he gave up a year of the NBA to come back, and for what? Not to get hit in the nether-regions. 2) Paul sent Hodge to the locker room, taking him out of the most important game in his team’s season. The game meant a whole lot more to State than it did to Wake, and Paul denied Hodge the opportunity to play a full game for his team. And 3) You just don’t do that to another man. You just don’t.

The Lady Tar Heels face Duke tonight at 7:30 on Fox Sports Net for the ACC Tournament crown. They’ll have to bring their AAA game if they want to take it from the Lady Blue Devils. Sylvia made the runner-ups watch Duke celebrate last year’s title. Here’s hoping that’s the needed motivation for the girls. They are very lucky to be in tonight’s game. Win tonight, and wrap up a number-one NCAA seed. Go Heels!

Later this week I’ll give my preview of the ACC Tournament match-ups. If only I could be there….

Graves and Wallace - HeelsBlog's recruiting trip

jtw3 — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 17:05:00 -0500

Here you go: Read. Recap. React.

As I teased before, Ben and I went to Greenville's Minges Coliseum last
night for the NCHSAA 3-A Eastern Regional playoffs. We were there
primarily to check out two North Carolina basketball recruits. In
addition, we ended up seeing two terrific, tightly-contested games.

One of the recruits, junior William Graves, has verbally committed.
The other, sophomore Eric Wallace, is high on a lot of schools' lists.
Both are listed as small forwards.

The first game was Wallace's R.B. Glenn Bobcats vs. the Jacksonville
Cardinals. Eric Wallace leads his team in points and rebounds, and is
third in assists. From the opening tip, it was apparent who the best
player on the court was. Wallace forced Jacksonville to run their
offense away from him. In other words, they were aware of where he was
on the floor at all times. He made some key blocks that lead to
points. Those would be precious in the closing minutes of the game.

Early in the first quarter, Wallace grabbed a defensive rebound and
took the ball coast-to-coast himself for an explosive dunk, beating
Jacksonville and his own teammates down the floor. It was, in a
hyphenated word, jaw-dropping.

I thought Eric Wallace played good defense too, but, on both ends of
the floor, he primarily stayed at the perimeter. The tallest kid on
his team, at 6-7, yet Wallace seemed unwilling to go inside unless he
was driving. That may not be his decision. For one thing, he's the
lanky type and will probably be more of a wing than an interior player in college. His coach probably recognizes that - and they're 25-5 - so it's working. Just something I noticed. You forget how young these players are. Wallace would do well to work on his upper body strength in the next two years of high school.

The other question I have about Wallace is his decision-making.
Instead of bringing the ball up himself (unless he's alone on the
break), he ought to find his point guard instead of trying to make too
many things happen at once. He also made some poor passes early in the
game last night, and finished with 7 turnovers. I think that will
improve with maturity. Again, he's in 10th grade.

Wallace has a teammate, Zalinor Banks, who is his team's other leader on the
floor. Banks was the one primarily making plays in the second half.

It has been said before that Eric Wallace isn't involved enough in his
team's offense. I have to agree to that. And I don't think it's his
fault. At times, Wallace would set up on the perimeter, call for the
ball, and often not get it.
I don't think I saw enough of him operating in the half-court offense.
Glenn's coach may not want his team's offense to revolve around
Wallace, and I understand that. But could he be going too far in the
other direction? Like I said, they're 25-5, and something's working.
He may not want to frustrate his other players. But on the other hand,
he's got a superstar in the making. Wallace played all but 18 seconds
in the game.

Wallace’s final stat line: 20 points on 5–9 from the field, 0–1 from 3, 10–12 FT. 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 foul in 31 minutes. Just one foul. Nice.

I look forward to seeing Eric Wallace mature as a player in the next
two years in high school, and will definitely keep an eye on his
recruitment.

Wallace will play William Graves and Kevin Swinton's
Dudley team, which swept them in the regular season, but Glenn
surprised them in the conference tournament. They're familiar.

William Graves has a good body for a high school player. The junior is
listed at 6-6, 240, and plays with Wake Forest commit senior Kevin Swinton in a solid Dudley frontcourt.

Before the Dudley game against South Johnston started, Graves was nailing 3 after 3 in warmups. I thought I might see him hit those in the game. He took some early and never got the idea that they just weren't falling, apparently. I can see that he has the ability to hit from deep, however.

Graves too played offensively on the perimeter, except when Swinton got into foul trouble and sat a little. Last night, most of his scoring came from tip-ins and free throws. He's got a promising mid-range jumper, and did some good intuitive things with the basketball.

Rebounding by Graves was tremendous. Swinton took most of the attention on the glass, so that freed up for Graves to put two hands on
the ball. On the offensive end, he had at least three tips or dunk
follows.

Graves' best asset might be his body and the ability to move with it.
Sure, he probably should tighten it up over the next year or so, but
you can tell he's muscular and bulky in a good way. He can impose his
will with his body, something that will help him inside - and will free
him up to shoot from the perimeter as well.

He brought the ball up the court a few times when he couldn't get it to
the point guard, and he's competent at that. Graves also knows where
he needs to be on the floor.

Also– Graves was 4–4 in the clutch when South Johnston made their rally. He hit big shots from the stripe in front of a hostile crowd. South Johnston had a whole lot more support than Dudley did, and their ‘Gang Green’ student section is to be admired by other schools.

It will be interesting to see how Graves handles being his team's #1
option, with Swinton gone to Wake Forest next year. i think he'll do a
good job. Dudley's coach has a dynasty there, and the team is loaded
with talent. It was that talent that enabled them to hang on against a
scrappy South Johnston team.

By the way, keep your eyes out for South Johnston sophomore Cole Dewey.
Scrappy kid who can nail the three and also plays hard-nosed defense
on the ball. Dewey forced at least two closely-guarded calls,
something that never happens.

Swinton impressed me tremendously in the first half. They couldn't
stop him. At 6-7, he's got an ACC-type body already. Strong enough to
bring it hard inside. Had some fantastic dunks and imposed his will
over other would-be rebounders. Hey Will, can you bring your friend?
Wake is getting a player that will be solid in the ACC. Mark my words.
If they pair him with another solid post player, they will be tough up
front.

Graves' totals: 20 pts on 7–15 fg, 0–5 from 3, 6–6 fts, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 turnovers, 1 steal and 3 fouls in 32 minutes.
Swinton's: 24 pts on 10–16 fg, 0–2 from 3, 4–6 fts, 12 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers, 2 blocks and 2 steals and 4 fouls in 27 minutes.

So there you have it. I hope I'm not being overly critical. Sometimes
you get caught up and don't realize it's just high school. But I saw
some quality players last night, and I didn't name all of them. It
will be great to see the matchup between these rivals on Saturday. On
the surface, it looks like Dudley is more talented, but I thought they
were far and away better than South Johnston, too, before the Trojans
made a furious rally to come up just short.

Here's hoping I saw not one but two future Tar Heels Wednesday night.

We had a chance to talk to both of them briefly. After the second
game, outside of the media room, I caught up with Graves.
"I think you'll look good in Carolina blue," I said. A genuine
ear-to-ear grin came across his face as he responded, "Yeah. Me too."

Ben flagged down Eric Wallace, who was making the rounds during the
second game in a Glenn sweatshirt and buttoned warmup pants. Ben had
noticed something else about him.
"Hey Eric," Ben said, "What color are those shorts underneath your
warmups?"
Eric got a sly smile on his face, put his palms up to the sky, and
answered, "Carolina."

Coincidence? Who knows?

– Turner

Graves and Wallace preview

jtw3 — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 00:20:00 -0500

Hello loyal readers -

Just got back home from seeing Eric Wallace (07 prospect) and William Graves (06 commit) play in separate games in the NC East regional 3–A semifinals tonight in Greenville. It’s late now, so I’ll definitely post more tomorrow afternoon, but let me say that I’m very hopeful Wallace will become a Heel, and look forward to seeing Graves in a Tar Heel uniform the season after next.

I’ll post my in-depth thoughts about them tomorrow (I took notes!) and I also have some reactions to seeing Graves’ teammate Kevin Swinton (Wake Forest commit) in person. Three really good players. Ben, HeelsBlog reader and occasional contributor, took in the show as well. He had an interesting conversation with one Eric Wallace I think you’ll be interested in.

Graves and Swinton from Greensboro Dudley will face Wallace’s Glenn team from Winston-Salem on Saturday.

Dudley won both regular-season matchups, but Glenn upset them in their conference tourney. Should be a great game Saturday.

I’ll check in tomorrow with reactions to the semis and pics.

-Turner

Signing Day Report: Hardesty Volunteers, Hemby a Heel

jtw3 — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 22:21:00 -0500

TarHeelBlue Signing Day Roster

Well, we got one of the two players I mentioned in my Signing Day Preview. Montario Hardesty decided to ride the bench in Knoxville rather than star in Kenan Stadium. We'll see what happens. I know this kind of thing happens all the time, but I don't have to like it. Jordan Hemby stayed with his initial feeling and will wear Carolina blue this fall.

So there is some disappointment, as the coaching staff didn't really nail down some of the big names that were still out there coming into the day, but there has to be excitement as well. We've got some great players that want to be Tar Heels, and I think that's very important to remember. Be sure to check out the bios listed on the link above.

Richie Rich and Barrington Edwards (transfer) add some new faces to plug into the backfield, and I think we'll see some great competition this spring. I don't know too much about Garrett White (LB), but I'm glad he wanted to be on the Hill.

The spring game is tentatively scheduled for early April, so we'll be able to tell you about returning players and the early entrants then.

Hopefully in the next few weeks I'll offer a preview of the depth chart at each position. As always, it's a great day to be a Tar Heel!

National Signing Day is Here

jtw3 — Wed, 02 Feb 2005 07:31:00 -0500

Today, thousands of high school senior football players will fax their letters-of-intent to college coaches all around the country. John Bunting hopes to receive two key letters, from Montario Hardesty and Jordan Hemby.

What did you say? You thought they already committed to North Carolina? So did I. In fact, both players verballed several weeks ago. But in both cases, coaches from other schools swooped in and tried to win their heart.

Philip Fulmer at Tennessee refused to accept Hardesty's North Carolina committment, and has been hounding the kid ever since. In the case of Hemby, it's Urban Meyer and Florida. Both players have announcements scheduled for late this morning. The football Tar Heels have not had much luck with press conferences (see Toney Baker, Jonathan Hannah, and Derek Nicholson).

I don't think it's a stretch to say the Tar Heels need these two players more than the other program. They are from the state of North Carolina, and John Bunting needs to keep the stud in-state players in their home state.

Here's hoping...

The Waiting is the Hardest(y) Part

jtw3 — Wed, 26 Jan 2005 10:31:00 -0500

Football recruiting season is in full swing. Before this year I haven't been nearly as interested, but I'm hopeful JB can continue the program on the upswing. The recently-released 2005 football schedule poses some serious challenges. I'll get to the scheduling later, but now, a quandary.

Montario Hardesty, the running back from New Bern, is ranked #2 in the state, behind State commit Toney Baker. Hardesty verbally committed to the Tar Heels last week over Tennessee. However, since then, Phillip Fulmer's staff has been all over Montario. Several visited for up to ten hours this past weekend.

I understand that it's open-season on kids, even after they verbal, until the letter-of-intent is signed and faxed to the school of his choice. Tennessee has a 4 or 5 star running back coming already, yet they're telling Hardesty he'll be 'the man' for four years. John Bunting needs to be all over this, and firm up Montario. He can be a solid contributor from the get-go, and a stud for several years.

By the way, dig the Tom Petty pun in the title.

Recruits Gone Wild

jtw3 — Wed, 19 Jan 2005 08:35:00 -0500

We've got commitments, de-commitments, rescindments, commitments taking visits, commitments committing to other schools...it's crazy.

Cade Thompson, heralded QB from Tennessee, has de-committed from one Carolina and is headed to the other, USC. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Cade Thompson has the quintessential quarterback name, and he could be the next great SEC signal-caller. We'll have to wait and see.

Richie Rich and Montario Hardesty have committed at RB for North Carolina. Unfortunately, however, this squeezes out Bryan Payton, who played at Fork Union this year. I don't know the circumstances there, but I'm not excited any time a kid doesn't have a chance to be a Heel.

Jordan Hemby, the defensive back commit from the western part of the state, is now going to visit Florida and make sure that isn't the place for him. Who's recruiting him there, you ask? Doc Holliday.

Jose Cruz, a TE commit, has de-committed and is looking at...Akron? Unless this means Jonathan Hannah is in, I don't like this either?

I'm sure all this will shake out in the next few weeks as we inch closer to signing day, but right now, it's a mess. I think we'll lock down a good class, but recruiting is obviously an inexact science.

Heels Pick Up Corner

jtw3 — Thu, 06 Jan 2005 10:34:00 -0500

Jordan Hemby, from Morganton Freedom High School, has announced he will attend UNC. Scroll about halfway down on that link. #1 cornerback in the state, #55 in the nation according to some. The Heels grabbed him over State, Clemson, and Virginia Tech, so that's good. I look forward to him suiting up for the Heels.

Brian Payton will be a Tar Heel

jtw3 — Thu, 23 Dec 2004 10:37:00 -0500

Brian Payton, a running back from Fort Wayne, Indiana by way of Fork Union Military Academy, has committed to the Tar Heels. Reading the above-linked article, he seems like a class-A guy. What does this mean for Toney Baker? I don't know. I have zero inside information, but Baker will be a great catch wherever he goes.

Football - Will Cameron Sexton redshirt?

jtw3 — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:14:00 -0500

HeelsBlog looks at the possibility of QB Commit Cameron Sexton redshirting, as well as the depth chart for 2005