Football Welcomes Fifth Straight Top-25 Signing Class

December 21, 2023 | Football

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina football program signed 27 newcomers, including 20 early enrollees, on Wednesday as part of National Signing Day. Currently ranked as the No. 22 class nationally by Rivals and the No. 25 class in the country according to the 247Sports Composite, Carolina's group includes 12 players who have earned four stars from at least one recruiting service and 15 three stars across the four major recruiting services.

The well-rounded class covers all position groups and is split evenly by sides of the ball with 14 members playing defense, 12 on offense and one specialist. The group played its senior seasons in seven different states including eight palyers from North Carolina, eight from Georgia, five from Florida, three from Tennessee and one each from Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia.

The 2024 signing class is headlined by a group of 12 four stars, five from Georgia, four from North Carolina, and three from Florida. The group from Georgia consists of DB Zion Ferguson, DB Jaiden Patterson, OL Andrew Rosinski, DB Ty White and LB Ashton Woods. The Tar Heel State is represented by DB Khalil Conley, WR Jordan Shipp, WR Alex Taylor and DB Malcolm Ziglar. The three Floridian four stars are RB Davion Gause, TE Timmy Lawson and DL Peter Pesansky.

The class is strengthened by a talented group of three-star prospects that were highly coveted across the region, including OL Aidan Banfield, Desmond Jackson, Luke Masterson and Jani Norwood, LBs Evan Bennett and Crews Law, JACKs Daniel Anderson and Curtis Simpson, QB Michael Merdinger, WR Javarius Green, TE Ryan Ward, DB Jalon Thompson, DL Leroy Jackson, and kicker Lucas Osada. In addition, the Tar Heels landed one junior college prospect in Tyrane Stewart from East Mississippi C.C., who graduated with a 3.3 GPA after attending EMCC to boost his recruiting profile.

North Carolina heads into a Duke's Mayo Bowl match-up versus West Virginia on Dec. 27 looking for a chance to win its ninth game. The Heels, currently 8-4, are looking to win nine games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1996 and '97. This is UNC's fifth consecutive bowl berth and its 11th consecutive bowl trip with Brown at the helm.