WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

North Carolina signing day preview

By Ryan Craig

Feb 3, 2009

As college football's national signing day approaches, more and more is made of each program's recruiting class, and rating services from all over the nation compare and contrast the athletes from whom various schools have earned oral commitments.

Prep school players and transfers from across the country are labeled with stars and, if they are good enough, invited to All-Star games in which they get to represent their future collegiate institution.

Any college football fan or coach knows that success starts with recruiting talented athletes, but there is no fool-proof formula for predicting which high school standouts will have the greatest impact at the college level.

Sometimes the "best" players in the nation pan out and become tomorrow's All-Americans, while other times they're busts. On the other hand, every year we see so-called sleeper prospects, those who didn't garner much in the way of star rankings or recruiting attention, but who blossom on the collegiate field.

Here is a look at the players from the Tar Heels' 2008 recruiting class who had the most impact on Butch Davis' team last season, along with their rankings at the time of their commitments.

(All rankings and measurements according to Rivals.com)

1.) Robert Quinn: 4-star defensive end

Quinn was not only the greatest impact freshman, but also the team's best story. The winner of the 2008 ACC Brian Piccolo Award, given to the conference's most courageous player, he overcame a potentially life-threatening brain tumor to register 34 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in his freshman season for the Heels.

2.) Michael McAdoo: 3-star defensive end

McAdoo tallied nine tackles in his true freshman season and added three tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback sacks.

3.) Quinton Coples: 4-star defensive end

The 6-foot-7, 235-pound lineman made eight tackles in his inaugural season in Chapel Hill, 3.5 of which were behind the line of scrimmage. Coples also had 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in 2008.

4.) Zach Brown: 4-star linebacker

Brown didn't see much action in his first season on campus, but did manage to tally half a dozen tackles, four of which were solo.

5.) Melvin Williams: 4-star defensive back

Williams, a community college transfer, had minimal impact on the field, but it was still the fifth-most of any first-year player on the roster. The 6-footer made five tackles on the year.

As for the 2009 recruiting class, here are the players that have either signed, or intend to sign, their letter of intent with North Carolina.

Players that have already signed with North Carolina:

Name	Position	Stars	Ht	WT	40 Time (in sec.)	Hometown
Joshua Adams	WR	4	6-4	200	--	Cheshire, CT
Kevin Reddick	LB	4	6-3	230	4.65	Chatham, VA

Players that are expected to sign with the Heels:

Name	Position	Stars	Ht	Wt	40 Time (in sec.)	Hometown
Donte Moss	DE	5	6-4	235	4.6	Jacksonville, NC
Jheranie Boyd	WR	4	6-2	184	4.45	Gastonia, NC
Donavan Tate	ATH	4	6-2	205	4.5	Cartersville, NC
Justin Dixon	LB	4	6-0	228	4.5	Smithfield, NC
Jared McAdoo	DT	4	6-2	285	--	Chapel Hill, NC
Bryn Renner	QB	4	6-3	192	4.8	West Springfield, VA
Brennan Williams	OL	4	6-6	272	4.97	West Roxbury, MA
Hawatha Bell	LB	4	6-1	225	4.5	Matthews, NC
A.J. Blue	ATH	4	6-2	205	4.6	Chatham, VA
Johnnie Farms	OL	4	6-2	285	5.2	Perry, GA
Josh Hunter	DB	4	6-2	172	4.4	Charlotte, NC
Terry Shankle	DB	4	5-10	167	4.43	Norwood, NC
David Collins	OL	3	6-7	290	5.3	Kernersville, NC
Travis Bond	OL	3	6-7	330	5.2	Windsor, NC
D. J. Bunn	DB	3	5-11	190	--	Smithfield, NC
Vincent Davis	WR	3	6-1	195	4.6	Monroe, NC
Angelo Hadley	DB	3	6-0	187	4.5	Seffner, FL
Mywan Jackson	ATH	3	5-11	169	4.52	Seffner, FL
Josh McKie	ATH	3	6-0	176	4.54	Mauldin, SC
Gene Robinson	DB	3	5-10	165	4.53	Memphis, TN
Prizell Brown	TE	3	6-4	258	4.65	Brenham, TX
Jerrell Rhodes	RB	3	5-10	195	4.48	Durham, NC
C.J. Feagles	K	2	5-11	180	--	Ridgewood, NJ
Hunter Furr	ATH	2	6-0	197	--	Lewisville, NC
Shane Mularkey	LB	2	6-3	215	--	Norcross, GA
Erik Highsmith	WR	2	6-2	172	4.45	Vanceboro, NC
Curtis Campbell	DB	2	6-2	205	4.47	Chesapeake, VA