Ohio State, Clemson, Florida and Texas are a few of the usual suspects when it comes to annually building some of college football's most impressive recruiting classes. The class of 2021 is no different, except for North Carolina’s emergence as a popular destination for many of the nation's most talented young prospects.
The Tar Heels sit at the No. 3 spot in the 247Sports Composite team rankings, behind only Ohio State and Tennessee. Since head coach Mack Brown’s return to Chapel Hill, UNC has been on a tear on the recruiting trail, picking up 10 four-star recruits in the 2021 class.
With the majority of North Carolina’s recruiting for 2021 complete, here’s a look at a few of the Tar Heels’ biggest remaining targets who will be committing in the near future.
Jahvaree Ritzie
247Sports ranks four-star defensive end Jahvaree Ritzie as the seventh-best player from North Carolina in the 2021 class and a top-10 strong-side defensive end in the country. The composite rankings have him as the No. 14 strong-side defensive end in the nation and the class's No. 165 ranked player.
Ritzie racked up 74 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and four passes broken up in 2019. 247Sports’ scouting report on the defensive lineman describes him as a physical hitter who has the ability to both lay out the quarterback and slow down the run game.
Ritzie announced on Twitter on April 26 that UNC was one of the final five schools he was considering, along with South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Ohio State. Raneiria Dillworth, a teammate of Ritzie’s at Glenn High School in Kernersville, committed to North Carolina just nine days prior.
The 6-foot-4.5-inch, 274-pound defensive lineman will be committing on June 12 and all eight of 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions have the Tar Heels as the favorite to land the young pass-rusher.