UNC head coach Butch Davis shouts towards the field during his Tar Heels' game against Notre Dame.
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.
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 |
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