Recruiting: UNC Gets Jump on 2009 Football Class

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Recruiting: UNC Gets Jump on 2009 Football Class

By Sammy Batten

Feb 19, 2008

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Twelve of the 19 football prospects signed earlier this month by North Carolina didn’t decide to join the Tar Heels until the final month of the recruiting process.

UNC is apparently switching its approach in pursuing the Class of 2009.

Less than two weeks after the national signing day for 2008, head coach Butch Davis and his staff have already secured oral commitments from seven high school players who have yet to finish their junior year.

Four of the seven play for in-state programs where UNC may be refocusing its efforts after pursuing a high number of national prospects in its last class.

Smithfield-Selma High School coach Anthony Barbour certainly got that impression while the Tar Heels were courting his stars, Justin Dixon and D.J. Bunn. Both players committed to UNC last weekend after the school’s Junior Day event.

Barbour, a former Garner High and N.C. State tailback, is in his third year at Smithfield-Selma.

“They are making (in-state) a focal point this year and are concentrating on getting the best players in the state,’’ Barbour said. “They’ve been very aggressive.’’

In Bunn and Dixon , the Tar Heels landed the stars of Smithfield-Selma’s Wing-T running attack.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Dixon plowed for 1,622 yards and 19 touchdowns from the fullback spot last season, while the 5-11, 190-pound Bunn ran for 813 yards and 13 scores. Both also started on defense with Dixon collecting 165 tackles at linebacker. Bunn also played defensive back.

Both will be four-year varsity starters for the Spartans, who went 7-6 last season.

“Justin is very fast for his size,’’ Barbour said. “He’s 6-2, 220 pounds and is strong as an ox. He hits holes well, he fills holes well and he plays sideline to sideline. He’s one of the best football players I’ve ever coached.

“D.J. is fast. He can fly. He’s a home-run hitter who makes big plays for us.’’

UNC’s other in-state commitments came from running back Hunter Furr from Mount Tabor High in Winston-Salem and wide receiver Vincent “Ray-Ray’’ Davis of Sun Valley High in Monroe.

Furr is known for his speed. The 6-foot, 195-pounder was timed at 4.27 seconds in the 40-yard dash a year ago at a combine in Charlotte and consistently runs in the 4.3s, according to Mount Tabor coach Barry Stewart.

“If he gets past you, not many folks can catch him,’’ Stewart said.

Furr ran for 1,650 yards and 24 touchdowns for Mount Tabor last season. He previously played at Forsyth Country Day School where he produced 1,842 yards and 25 touchdowns as a sophomore. He also won the state independent schools 3-A title in the 100- and 200-meter dashes for two straight years.

UNC beat out N.C. State and Wake Forest for Furr. Both schools had also offered scholarships.

Davis , a 6-1, 195-pounder, has been one of the state’s most productive pass catchers for the last two seasons. He grabbed 76 receptions for 1,134 yards and 13 touchdowns in earning all-state honors as a sophomore. Davis followed that up with a 49-catch, 663-yard, 10-touchdown performance as a junior.

Tennessee had also offered, but Davis grew up rooting for the Tar Heels.

“I think that’s the deal,’’ Sun Valley coach Scott Stein said. “When all this (recruiting) started and everybody started coming by and talking to him, then I sat down with him and talked about the situation. He said, “Coach, I'd just like to go to Carolina . That's it.’’’

The most highly touted of the early Tar Heel commitments is wide receiver Joshua Adams from Cheshire Academy in Connecticut .

Adams was named the offensive most valuable player at the U.S. Army All-American Junior Combine held January in San Antonio , Texas . The 6-4, 200-pounder caught 58 passes for 953 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior despite being hindered by injuries.

Boston College , Connecticut and Maryland had extended scholarhship offers before Adams announced for the Tar Heels.

South Carolinians Taylor Sowell and Joshua McKie round out UNC’s early verbals.

Sowell (5-11, 190) led Dorman High School near Spartanburg with six interceptions as a junior and made 35 tackles from his cornerback spot. He also had offers from Georgia Tech and West Virginia .

The 6-foot, 175-pound McKie played quarterback at Mauldin High School last season and earned All-Region II 4-A honors. The Tar Heels have recruited him to play wide receiver.

North Carolina hasn’t been the only in-state school active in recruiting for 2009.

Wake Forest has received a verbal commitment from Ponte Vedra , Fla. , defensive end John Gallagher. A 6-4, 250-pounder, Gallagher plays at Nease High where the Deacons signed three players for their 2008 class.

Gallagher received his first scholarship offer from Wake Forest .

Veteran reporter Sammy Batten covers college football recruitng for the Fayetteville Observer. He can be reached at battens@fayobserver.com or (910) 486-3534

Most Recent Comments

i agree with that. well most of it. I think they shouldnt be aloud to recruit more than scouting a game, phone calls. etc etc. until the first day of school their junior year. then they can offer him a ride. I dont like these kids that are freshman (im pretty sure i even saw an 8th grader commit to so. cal in basketball abou 6 months ago) but until thier first day of school as a junior i dont think that schools should be aloud to recruit no more than lets say phone calls, school info, and the coach scouting a game. then after that day 1 of their jr year. they can be offered a scholarship.

"yeah tbk dont forget that they can verbal all they want. but cant sign until they are seniors (or at least the summer before their senior year maybe)."

But a school can make a formal offer, no? It's silly. Where does it stop? I'd like to see some limit put on underclassmen recruiting. I just don't see the point in offering or verballing before their senior year. Make the offer on day one of senior year. The same rule applies to everybody.

I'm guessing the timing has a lot to do with the geography. It's a lot more likely, IMHO, for an in-state kid to commit early to a school he's grown up rooting for than to a school 1000 miles away.

I'm not sure why Carolina didn't pursue more in-state kids last year, but over the long run, the best players from NC are going to help you more than the second or third tier players from places like Texas and Florida.

I wonder if the small number of scholarships available last year was a factor?

yeah tbk dont forget that they can verbal all they want. but cant sign until they are seniors (or at least the summer before their senior year maybe).

I know State does it, too. But it seems there should be an NCAA rule against recruiting kids that are not seniors. A lot can change in two years for a high school kid. I don't have a problem with schools WATCHING underclassmen play, but I think they should be seniors before they get an offer... from anybody. What's next? High school sophomores? Freshmen? I think I remember hearing about Carolina recruiting a 7th grader once for basketball, but he was already very tall, maybe close to seven feet tall. Just seems ridiculous.

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