UNC football recruiting rumors: Tar Heels losing battle for 4-star to South Carolina

Things have gone quite well for UNC football recruiting under Mack Brown as a whole and that doesn't appear to be changing. Unfortunately, though, one of the top in-state targets that the veteran head coach is hoping to bring to Chapel Hill might get taken from the Tar Heels by (don't anyone dare call them "Carolina") the South Carolina Gamecocks.

Jonathan Paylor, a 4-star athlete from Burlington, NC and the No. 146 overall player in the 247Sports Composite rankings for the 2024 class, has an offer from North Carolina and the Heels are considered among the final four for the 5-foot-9, 170-pounder alongside South Carolina, Maryland, and NC State.

However, there are six Crystal Ball predictions logged for Paylor and, while none are at the maximum level of confidence, all have the offensive weapon — he could play receiver or running back at the college level — heading to the Gamecocks.

Three of those predictions have come in the last week, including one from recruiting guru Steve Wiltfong, after Paylor finished up his tour of those four schools with visits to each in the month of June, ending the trip with a visit in Columbia to South Carolina.

One thing that great programs do, particularly ones that are getting ready to make another leap, is making sure they get their top targets in the state. As such, losing the Burlington native to the neighbors down south would be a tough pill to swallow for Mack Brown and Co.

As of this writing, though, the Tar Heels still have the No. 16-ranked recruiting class in the 2024 cycle with room to make up if they do end up missing out on Paylor.

UNC football recruiting rumors: 4-star DB Zion Ferguson flips from LSU to Heels

Speaking of the 2024 UNC footbal recruiting class, there had been some concerns about the level of top talent that Mack Brown was bringing into the class. But that feeling shifted in a major way as the Tar Heels were able to get one of their top targets committed elsewhere, cornerback Zion Ferguson, to flip on Saturday.

Ferguson, a 4-star cornerback from outside of Atlanta, had committed to the LSU Tigers and Brian Kelly in September of last year. Per reports, though, he still had an eye on North Carolina as he scheduled an official visit for June 23. Two days later, he posted on Twitter to reveal his commitment to UNC.

Though the regime has changed in Baton Rouge, it is notable that LSU has been called DBU for some time, so to land a recruit that Brian Kelly and the Tigers were in on early in the process for the next Tar Heels recruiting class, optically, appears like a great sign moving forward, particularly with the 2024 class.

On top of that, though, Ferguson committing is a strong sign after changes to Brown's coaching staff. Defensive backs coach Dre Bly initially targeted the 4-star but Jason Jones continued that when he was installed as the replacement at the position on the staff. To see him follow through on Bly's target while hopefully offering an upgrade in player development is a great sign.

More than anything, though, the Tar Heels now have an exciting 4-star defensive back coming into the fold that wasn't on that track before. That, simply, is a win in itself.

UNC football recruiting rumors: 4-star 2025 QB Bryce Baker commits to North Carolina

There are precisely zero questions about the UNC football quarterback room in the 2023 season. Drake Maye is back after a dynamic first year as the starter for North Carolina and is one of the Heisman Trophy favorites. He's also trending toward being a Top 5 (if not Top 2) pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

And that's where things start to get a bit trickier at quarterback for the Tar Heels.

As of right now, there isn't an obvious successor to Maye in the North Carolina quarterback room. Former 3-star recruit Conner Harrell is an option, as is incoming 4-star from the 2023 class Tad Hudson. Then there is always the transfer portal option. But Mack Brown is solidifying the position for at least a couple years down the line.

On Tuesday, Brown and UNC football landed 4-star quarterback Bryce Baker, the top-ranked passer in North Carolina for the 2025 recruiting cycle, to a commitment, as reported by Inside Carolina.

Baker is the 15th-ranked quarterback in the 2025 cycle out of Kernersville, NC. That, in itself, is crucial. As we talked about with Paylor, UNC football recruiting keeping the top players in North Carolina in state is crucial to elevating the program now and in the future. So getting Baker is huge, but especially so with the uncertain future once Maye leaves Chapel Hill.

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