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Heels land strong football class, especially after a tough year

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Given all that happened in 2010 to North Carolina’s football program, you have to hand it to the Tar Heels for landing an impressive class. This group is particularly strong on the defensive side, especially after five-star defensive end Delvon Simmons of McKeesport, Pa., announced for Carolina Wednesday.

The Tar Heels got two five-stars – Simmons and offensive lineman Kiaro Holts of Indiana – and five more players who earned four stars, according to Scout.com. Overall, the Tar Heels continue to pile up top linebackers and defensive linemen. It’s interesting to note that what had been a weakness in the program – linebacker – under John Bunting has quickly become a signature part of the Carolina defense.

UNC moved to add depth to the running back position when it took junior college star Stephen Houston late. The Heels offered him late, according to reports, and he jumped at the opportunity. But it’s important to note that schools usually go the JuCo route when they can’t land their top targets at a position.

2011 North Carolina Signees

Name                                            Pos.        Ht.         Wt.       Hometown (High School)

Tyler Alberts                           ATH       6-7        235       Clemmons, N.C. (Forsyth Country Day)

Devonte Brown                      DL            6-4        275       Fayetteville (Jack Britt)

Alex Dixon                                  DB           6-1        180       Clearwater, Fla. (Countryside)

Eric Ebron                                  TE            6-5        225       Greensboro, N.C. (Smith)

Brandon Ellerbe                     DB           6-0        200       Wadesboro, N.C. (Anson)

Kiaro Holts                                OL            6-5        275       Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central)

Stephen Houston                   FB            5-11     230       Little Rock, Ark. (Lakota West (Ohio)/

Independence (Kan.) CC)

Travis Hughes                         LB            6-2        225       Virginia Beach, Va. (Kempsville)

Kameron Jackson                  DB           6-0        180       Madison, Ala. (Madison Academy)

Jarrod James                             OL            6-4        285       Goldsboro,N.C. (Aycock)

Romar Morris                         ATH       5-10     185       Salisbury, N.C. (Salisbury)

Norkeithus Otis                      LB            6-2        215       Gastonia, N.C. (Ashbrook)

Darien Rankin                          DB           5-11     185       Salisbury, N.C. (Salisbury)

*Travis Riley                            RB           6-1        215       Kannapolis, N.C. (A.L. Brown)

Tim Scott                                    DB           6-0        180       Fredericksburg, Va. (Colonial Forge)

Delvon Simmons                    DL            6-5        265       McKeesport, Pa. (McKeesport)

Sam Smiley                                 DB           6-0        175       Jacksonville, Fla. (Raines)

Miller Snyder                           P/PK      6-2        185       Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park)

Jack Tabb                                    TE            6-4        250       Red Bank, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)

*T.J. Thorpe                               WR          6-0        180       Durham, N.C. (Jordan)

*Landon Turner                     OL            6-4        310       Harrisonburg, Va. (Harrisonburg)

Shawn Underwood              DT           6-2        295       Fuquay-Varina, N.C. (Fuquay-Varina)

Keeon Virgile                            LB            6-2        210       North Miami Beach, Fla.

(North Miami Beach)

*Marquise Williams             QB           6-2        215       Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek)

*Sylvester Williams             DT           6-3        315       Jefferson City, Mo.

(Jefferson City/Coffeyville (Kan.) CC)

*Enrolled at North Carolina in January, 2011

Tyler Alberts

Athlete, 6-7, 235

Clemmons, N.C. (Forsyth Country Day)

Ranked the No. 27 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Also played tight end • Considered the No. 36 defensive end in the country by ESPNU • Has only played one season of high school football • Finished his senior season with 32 receptions for 495 yards and seven touchdowns • Also had 47 tackles, including 15 sacks, two pass breakups and a blocked field goal • Was named to the All-Central Piedmont Football Conference and the NCISAA All-State teams, and was selected to theprivate school Shrine Bowl • An outstanding baseball and basketball player • Coached by Mark Moroz • Son of Brad and Ann Alberts • Born March 27, 1992.

Devonte Brown

Defensive Lineman, 6-4, 275

Fayetteville, N.C., (Jack Britt)

SuperPrep All-America • Member of the Associated Press North Carolina All-State Team • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • Considered the No. 19 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 9 overall prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Member of the Rivals250 team • ESPNU’s No. 33 defensive tackle prospect • Ranked the No. 58 defensive tackle in the country by Scout.com • Considered the No. 40 defensive linemen in the nation by SuperPrep • Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Honorable-mention member of the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Southern Team • Posted 65 tackles as a senior as his team advanced to the second round of the highschool playoffs • Also had 14 tackles for losses and five sacks • Helped Jack Britt reach the state 4-AA finals as a junior when he made 25 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack • Originally from Queens, N.Y. • Coached by Richard Bailey • Son of Adrienne Brown • Born Jan. 5, 1993.

Alex Dixon

Defensive Back, 6-1, 180

Clearwater, Fla. (Countryside)

SuperPrep All-America • Considered the No. 29 safety in the country by Rivals.com • ESPNU’s 31st-best cornerback • Rated the No. 29 prospect in Florida by SuperPrep • Helped lead Countryside to the third round of the 5-A playoffs • Earnedsecond team all-area honors as a senior • Intercepted five passes in 2009 • Ranked the No. 53 cornerback in the country by Scout.com • Considered the No. 35 defensive back in the nation by SuperPrep • Coached by Jared Davis • Son of Deonne Dixon • Born Oct. 25, 1992.


Eric Ebron

Tight End, 6-5, 225

Greensboro, N.C. (Smith)

SuperPrep All-America • Considered the No. 8 tight end in the nation by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 20 tight end in the country by Scout.com • Considered the No. 21 tight end in the country and the No. 17 overall prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Rated the No. 13 athlete in the nation by SuperPrep • Member of the Associated Press North Carolina All-State Team as a senior • Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Played wide receiver for the North Carolina Shrine Bowl team • Made 28 catches for 682 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior • Also played defensive end and made 68 tackles and 13.5 sacks • Caught 24 passes for 408 yards (17-yard average) and four touchdowns as a junior • Coached by Rodney Brewington • Son of Eric Ebron Sr. and Gina Jackson • Born April 10, 1993.

Brandon Ellerbe

Defensive Back, 6-0, 200

Wadesboro, N.C. (Anson)

Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Picked off a pass in the all-star game and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown • Ranked the No. 26 prospect in North Carolina by SuperPrep • Considered the No. 37 safety prospect in the nation by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 69 safety in the country by Scout.com • Played quarterback as a senior and rushed for 1,000 yards, threw for 1,400 yards and accounted for 22 total touchdowns as a senior • Also intercepted four passes on defense and posted 41 tackles and nine pass breakups • Coached by Luke Hyatt • Son of Chris Ellerbe and Crystal McLendon • Born Dec. 18, 1992.

Kiaro Holts

Offensive Lineman, 6-5, 275

Indianapolis, Ind. (Warren Central)

Under-Armour All-America • SuperPrep All-America • Second-team USA Today High School All-America • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • SuperPrep’s No. 8 offensive lineman in the country and its top overall prospect in Indiana • Member of the Rivals250 team • Ranked the No. 17 offensive tackle in the country and the No. 2 overall prospect in Indiana by Rivals.com • Considered the No. 18 prospect in the countryregardless of position by Scout.com • Ranked the No. 3 offensive tackle in the country by Scout.com • Member of the ESPNU 150 and the Scout 300 • Considered the No. 8 offensive guard in the nation by ESPNU • One of 45 high school seniors to participate in the Team USA vs. The World football game in Austin, Texas, Feb. 2 • Did not allow a sack as a senior • Explosive coming off the ball • Has good feet and moves well • Can play either tackle or guard • Coached by John Hart • Son of Robert Holts • Born Jan. 25, 1991.

Stephen Houston

Fullback, 5-11, 230

Little Rock, Ark. (Lakota West HS (Ohio)/Independence (Kan.) CC)

Junior college running back who redshirted at Independence CC and has three years of eligibility remaining • In his only season at Independence, he rushed for 1,082 yards and five touchdowns on 165 carries • Played his junior year in Arkansas and transferred to Lakota West High School in Ohio for his senior season • Had 887 yards rushing with 11 TDs as a senior • Also an outstanding hurdler • Coached by Steve Carson at Independence • Son of Ronnie Deloney • Born Oct. 28, 1991.

Travis Hughes

Linebacker, 6-2, 225

Virginia Beach, Va. (Kempsville)

Under-Armour All-America • SuperPrep All-America • Ranked the No. 5 middle linebacker in the country by Scout.com • Member of the Rivals250 team • Rated the No. 9 inside linebacker and the No. 4 overall prospect in Virginia by Rivals.com • Four-star prospect by Scout and Rivals • Ranked the No. 8 linebacker by SuperPrep • Considered the No. 6 inside linebacker prospect by ESPNU and a member of the ESPNU 150 • Considered the No. 3 overall prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep • Member of the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Southern Team • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • Won the skills contest at the Under Armour All-America Game and tied for team-high honors in tackles • Selected to the Chesapeake Bowl, the Offense/Defense All-Star game and the Virginia State All-Star Game • First-team all-region and first-team all-state • Also first-team at linebacker and running back in the Beach district • Three-time All-Beach selection • Played this summer in the Florida Gridiron Iron Kings All-Star Bash • Played both running back and linebacker at Kempsville • Posted 291 career tackles, including 25 tackles for losses and 20 sacks • Also had three interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, had eight pass breakups and 11 fumble recoveries • Carried 185 times for 1,227 yards and 20 touchdowns and was a first-team all-district pick as a senior • Set a Beach District record with 354 yards and sixtouchdowns on 24 carries in his final high school football game • All-Tidewater first-team selection • Rushed for 1,230 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior and had 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two interceptions • Rushed for 3,804 career yards and had 47 touchdowns • Also had 18 catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns • Four-year starter • His brother, Trenton, is a defensive back at Maryland • Also competes on the track team in the 100m, 200m and sprint relay teams • Coached by Jamaine Paddyfoot • Helped conduct youth football camps during the summer • Mother is Gwedolyn Hughes; Father and stepmom are Tony and Celia Hughes • Has a brother, Trenton, and sisters Joi and Jade •  Father and grandfather were high school track and field athletes • Father also competed in track and field in college • Born Feb. 15, 1992.

Kameron Jackson

Defensive Back, 6-0, 180

Madison, Ala. (Madison Academy)

Ranked the No. 37 prospect in Alabama by Rivals.com • Caught 37 passes for 900 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and intercepted three passes • Originally from Wilmington, N.C. • Injured his knee as a high school senior • Coached by Eric Cohu • Son of Rodney and Tracey Jackson • Born July 2, 1993.

Jarrod James

Offensive Lineman, 6-4, 285

Goldsboro, N.C. (Aycock)

SuperPrep All-America • Member of the Rivals250 team • Ranked the No. 8 offensive guard and the No. 7 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Considered the No. 22 offensive guard in the country by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 28 offensive guard in the country by Scout.com • Ranked the No. 35 offensive linemen in the country by SuperPrep • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • Three-year starter • Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Coached by Randy Pinkowski • Son of Elvin and Mary Kay James • His father, Elvin, is the head coach at Livingstone, a Division II school in Salisbury • Born Jan. 22, 1993.

Romar Morris

Athlete, 5-10, 185

Salisbury, N.C. (Salisbury)

Considered the No. 26 running back in the country by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 12 all-purpose running back and the No. 23 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Member of the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Southern Team • Ranked the No. 59 running back in the country by Scout.com • Rated the No. 1 running back in North Carolina and the No 19 overall prospect in the state by SuperPrep • Rushed for 1,780 yards and 30 touchdowns and had 20 catches for 258 yards as a senior • Rushed for 97 yards and scored a touchdown to earn MVP honors of the state 2-A championship game, which Salisbury won • Also named the conference player of the year • Carried 161 times for 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior • Also had 11 receptions for 269 yards and four more scores • Outstanding track athlete who has run a 10.54 100-meter and 21.47 200-meter • Wonback-to-back state 2-A titles in the 100 and 200m dashes • Coached by Joe Pinyan • Son of Roland and Martha Morris • Born Oct. 21, 1992.

Norkeithus Otis

Linebacker, 6-2, 215

Gastonia, N.C. (Ashbrook)

SuperPrep All-America • Member of the Rivals250 team • Considered the No. 9 weakside defensive end in the country and the No. 8 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Ranked the No. 16 outside linebacker in the country by ESPNU •Ranked the 23 outside linebacker in the country by Scout.com • Member of the Scout 300 • Rated the No. 16 linebacker in the country by SuperPrep • Made 78 tackles, 10 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks primarily at defensive end as a senior • Recorded 109 tackles, 10 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as a junior and was named the conference defensive player of the year • Registered 72 tackles, six sacks and one fumble recovery as a sophomore • Coached by Greg Hill • Guardians are Africa and Eric Otis • Born Aug. 26, 1992.

Darien Rankin

Defensive Back, 5-11, 185

Salisbury, N.C. (Salisbury)

Ranked the No. 28 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Considered the No. 87 safety prospect in the nation by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 108 safety in the country by Scout.com • All-state selection as a senior • Member of the Charlotte Observer’s first-team defense • Helped lead Salisbury to the state 2-A title with 10 tackles and a pass breakup in win •  Named defensive MVP of the state title game • Three sport standout in football, basketball and track • Coached by Joe Pinyan • Son of Kenneth and Bianca Gillispie • Born Dec. 12, 1991.

Travis Riley

Running Back, 6-1, 215

Kannapolis, N.C. (A.L. Brown)

Enrolled at North Carolina in January, 2011, after graduating early from A.L. Brown High School • Considered the No. 16 running back by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 98 running back in the country by Scout.com • Ranked the No. 5 fullback by Rivals.com • Considered the No. 26 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Rated the No. 3 running back in North Carolina and the No. 32 in the state by SuperPrep • Rushed for 1,924 yards and 32 touchdowns as a junior and was named the AreaPlayer of the Year • Coached by Ron Massey • Son of Tiffany Flynn and Mario Douglas • Born Jan. 27, 1993.

Tim Scott

Defensive Back, 6-0, 180

Fredericksburg, Va. (Colonial Forge)

Considered the 18th-best safety prospect in the nation by ESPNU • Ranked the No. 34 cornerback in the country by Scout.com • Rated the No. 38 cornerback in the nation and the No. 12 prospect in Virginia by Rivals.com • Ranked the No. 14 prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep • Earned Commonwealth District defensive player of the year honors and was first-team All-Fredericksburg as a senior • Namedall-district as a defensive back, wide receiver and kick returner • Was also a  second-team All-Washington Metro selection • Four-year starter • Carried 22 times for 173 yards and one touchdown as a junior • Also made 13 receptions for 221 yards and one touchdown • Also plays basketball • Coached by Bill Brown • Born Jan. 25, 1993.

Delvon Simmons

Defensive Lineman, 6-5, 265

McKeesport, Pa. (McKeesport)

Considered the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania, the No. 5 defensive tackle and the No. 80 overall prospect by Rivals.com • U.S. Army All-American • SuperPrep All-America • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • Rated the No. 11 defensive lineman in the country by SuperPrep • Considered the No. 3 defensive tackle in the country and the No. 15 overall prospect by Scout.com • Member of the Scout300 • Led McKeesport in tackles from the defensive tackle position with 57 stops, 11 tackles for losses, and one sack as a senior • Named all-league and all-state on the offensive and defensive line • Coached by Jim Ward • Lives with his aunt, Ella Watkins • Born Nov. 30, 1992.

Sam Smiley

Defensive Back, 6-0, 175

Jacksonville, Fla. (Raines)

Member of the Jacksonville Times-Union Super 24 team • Played quarterback as a senior in high school and led Raines to 9-3 record and a berth in the state playoffs • Threw for 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns and had 16 rushing touchdowns • Missed most of his junior season after tearing a ligament in his foot • Was teammates with current UNC wide receiver Sean Tapley in high school • Also plays basketball • Coached by Duran Wiley • Born Oct. 27, 1992.

Miller Snyder

Place-kicker/Punter, 6-2, 185

Charlotte, N.C. (Myers Park)

Played in the U.S. ArmyAll-America Game • Member of the Associated Press North Carolina All-State Team • Ranked the No. 8 kicker prospect in the nation by ESPNU • Kicked 39 touchbacks on 48 kickoffs as a high school senior in 2010 • Made four of five field goal attempts with a long of 38 yards as a senior • Also averaged 38.2 yards per punt • Earned all-conference honors • Coached by Greg Taylor • Son of John and Molly Snyder • Born Dec. 4, 1992.

Jack Tabb

Tight End, 6-4, 240

Red Bank, N.J. (Red Bank Catholic)

Ranked the No. 11 tight end in the country by ESPNU • Considered the No. 25 tight end by Scout.com • Rated the No. 35 tight end in the country and the No. 17 prospect in New Jersey by Rivalscom • Considered the No. 11 prospect in New Jersey by SuperPrep • Played on both sides of the ball at tight end and linebacker at Red Bank Catholic High School • Posted 21 receptions for 458 yards and five touchdowns as a senior • Played for the North team in the Chesapeake Bowl, a high school all-star game in the Northeast • Caught seven passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns as a junior • Recorded 52 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks in 2009 • Born in Japan and has lived in Tennessee, Hawaii, Korea and Indiana • Moved to New Jersey prior to sophomore year • Coached by Jim Portela • Son of Julie Tabb Carter • Born July 29, 1992.

T.J. Thorpe

Wide Receiver, 6-0, 180

Durham, N.C. (Jordan)

Enrolled at North Carolina in January, 2011, after graduating early from Jordan High School, which is just a few miles from the Chapel Hill campus • SuperPrep All-America • Member of the ESPNU 150 as the No. 88 overall prospect in the country • Considered the No. 11 athlete in the nation by ESPNU • Member of the Rivals250 • Rated the 15th overall wide receiver by Rivals.com and the No. 6 prospect in North Carolina • Rated the No. 21 wide receiver by SuperPrep • Ranked the No. 50 wide receiver in the country by Scout.com • Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Set a state single-season mark as a junior by returning five kickoffs for touchdowns • Established a school career record with 2,423 receiving yards • Coached by Mike Briggs • Son of Tyrone and Carmen Thorpe • Born May 26, 1993.

Landon Turner

Offensive Lineman, 6-4, 310

Harrisonburg, Va. (Harrisonburg)

Enrolled at North Carolina in January, 2011 after graduating early from Harrisonburg High School • SuperPrep All-America • Ranked the No. 91 overall prospect and the No. 5 offensive guard in the country by Scout.com • Member of the Scout 300 • Played in the U.S. Army All-America Game • Member of the Rivals250 • Rated the No. 3 offensive guard in the nation and the No. 106 overall prospect by Rivals.com • Ranked the third-best prospect in Virginia by Rivals.com • Rated the top offensive lineman and the No. 6 overall prospect in Virginia by SuperPrep • Named all-state in back-to-back seasons • Paved the way for Harrisonburg’s running back to rush for more than 5,000 yards over the last two seasons • Helped lead his team to the state finals as a senior • Also played middle linebacker • Coached by Tim Sarver • Son of Dawn Womack and West Turner • Both his father and uncle played football at West Virginia • Born May 15, 1993.


Shawn Underwood

Defensive Tackle, 6-2, 295

Fuquay-Varina, N.C. (Fuquay-Varina)

Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Ranked the No. 33 defensive tackle in the country by Scout.com • Considered the No. 51 defensive tackle by ESPNU • Rated the No. 29 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Was a standout player on both sides of the ball • Earned all-league honors as a offensive guard and defensive end as a junior • Named the league’s defensive player of the year as a senior • Coached by Ryan Habich • Son of Terry Underwood • Born March 2, 1992.

Keeon Virgile

Linebacker, 6-2, 210

North Miami Beach, Fla. (North Miami Beach)

Considered one of the top 25 players in Dade County in Florida • Rated one of the top 100 players in Florida by SuperPrep • Made 82 tackles and had 12 sacks as a senior • Posted 89 tackles and 11 sacks as a junior • Rated the No. 139 outside linebacker in the country by Scout.com • Plays at North Miami Beach where former Tar Heel Tommy Richardson serves as athletic director • Advanced to the second round of the state playoffs as a senior • Son of Joan and Walkins Virgile • Born Feb. 9, 1992.

Marquise Williams

Quarterback, 6-2, 215

Charlotte, N.C. (Mallard Creek)

Enrolled at North Carolina in January, 2011, after graduating early from Mallard Creek High School • SuperPrep All-America • Parade All-America • Member of Tom Lemming’s All-America Team • The No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals.com and a member of the Rivals250 • Considered the No. 10 prospect in North Carolina by Rivals.com • Ranked the No. 16 quarterback in the country by Scout.com • Rated the No. 15quarterback in the country by SuperPrep • Member of North Carolina’s Shrine Bowl team • Member of the Orlando Sentinel’s All-Southern Team • Completed 170 of 254 attempts (67 percent) for 3,034 yards, 45 touchdowns and eight interceptions as a senior • The passing yards rank 19th in Mecklenburg county history and the passing touchdowns is sixth best in county history • Also rushed for 1,147 yards and 19 more scores and was named the Area Offensive Player of the Year and conference offensive player of the year • Threw for 2,100 yards, rushed for 1,400 yards and accounted for 40 total touchdowns in 2009 • Passed for 2,300 yards, rushed for1,000 yards and accounted for 37 touchdowns as a sophomore • Helped guide his team from a 1-win season as a freshman to the playoffs as a junior and senior • Coached by Mike Palmeiri • Son of Bernard Whiteside and Lisa Williams • Born Oct. 5, 1992.

Sylvester Williams

Defensive Tackle, 6-3, 315

Jefferson City, Mo. (Jefferson City/Coffeyville (Kan.) CC)

Enrolled at Carolina inJanuary, 2011, after two seasons at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College • Has two seasons of eligibility remaining, plus a redshirt season if necessary • Considered a four-star prospect by Scout.com • Ranked the No. 12 junior college talent by SI.com • Rated the No. 14 overall junior college prospect by SuperPrep • Recorded 52 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and five blocked kicks in 2010 and was named all-conference and honorable-mention All-America • Coached by Darian Dulin at Coffeyville Community College • Son of Sylvester Williams Sr. • Born Nov. 21, 1988.

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Bullock’s three-pointers change UNC game at BC

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The three-point shot can certainly change games in a hurry and it did so during North Carolina’s 106-74 drubbing of Boston College. It looked as if BC might continue its ACC dominance at home after hitting four threes in a row to get out to an 18-13 lead.

But UNC’s Reggie Bullock went unconscious over a three-minute period with four three-pointers. His three from the right corner gave Carolina its first lead at 19-18. About 40 seconds later Bullock hit a three from the left corner and just over a minute later he swished a three from the left side to put the Tar Heels up 29-22.

At the end of the day, Boston College had 13 three-pointers compared to 11 by Carolina. But the time of the game in which the threes were made was big plus BC shot a lot more threes. You live by it and you die by it. Carolina hit 52 percent of its three pointers while BC hit 39 percent.

For more on the Boston College game itself, please click here.

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Florida State is back with dominant recruiting class

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Back at Operation Basketball in October in Charlotte, a Florida State media relations person made an interesting comment in the hallway. The conversation turned to football, where the Seminoles had once owned the ACC.

“We’re going to be what we used to be,” he said. Really? Asked a Capital Sports reporter. Why?

Jimbo Fisher is just bringing it together, he explained. The coaching staff, the organization, the entire program was falling into place.

On signing day, we’ll see it. North Carolina has a good recruiting class and N.C. State has a perplexing one, but the Seminoles have a great one. Football coaches love to say you can’t truly gauge a class for five years, and there is some truth in that, but the teams that win big on the field tend to win big on signing day. Just look at Alabama – Nick Saban came in and turned the program around with some monster recruiting classes.

Florida State is poised for a tremendous day Wednesday. The Seminoles have 25 commitments and 10 are ranked in the Top 100 by Scout.com. Four are five-star recruits, 10 are four-star recruits and 11 are three-star recruits.

The next closest ACC team is Clemson, at No. 18, followed by UNC at No. 19. As of Tuesday night, Carolina had one five-star recruit and five four-stars. Ratings are just guesses – Russell Wilson was a two-star – but the chance of getting a stud goes up with the number of stars.

One interesting note on Florida State’s class – its only quarterback so far is three-star recruit Jacob Coker of Mobile, Ala.

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Great moments remembered from All-Star Game

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If you’re looking for a good summary of thoughts and interesting observations from the All-Star Game, here’s a link to the HurricanesBeat.com and its final thoughts on the game.

The site, obviously focused on the Hurricanes, has stellar content from a pair of seasoned journalists, Dave Droschak and Kurt Dusterberg. If you’re a Canes fan, this is a great site to complement what you get from The N&O and other traditional media.

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Hoops 4 Hope a success despite poor choice of date

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The sixth annual Hoops 4 Hope game was held Sunday at Reynolds Coliseum, and despite some poor timing, appeared to be a success.

N.C. State had a good crowd at Reynolds and the Wolfpack women’s team put on a strong performance, rallying from a big deficit before falling to Florida State, 76-69. The game raised $53,000, according to The News & Observer, for the Kay Yow Cancer fund.

This is a worthy cause, and you have to commemorate NCSU for continuing the game and honoring their late coach. But the game was overlooked in a market consumed with the NHL All-Star Game. Women’s basketball doesn’t get much attention in the market, from media or fans, and this was a prime showcase for the game and a great cause. It just seemed unfortunate that the game wound up being played at a time when many had their attention focused elsewhere.

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Wolfpack goes blank at UNC, and for a moment Monday morning

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N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe obviously has more to worry about than the ACC media teleconference, but there was an awkward moment Monday morning when his phone line died in the middle of an answer to The News & Observer’s Joe Giglio.

Giglio asked about how hard the Wolfpack plays, and whether Saturday’s loss at North Carolina was an aberration.

“Um, I think this group will play hard. Saturday, that was just a game. I don’t know, it was a weird game. Guys seemed to be ready n the locker room, ready to go to and excited, with good energy,” Lowe responded.

“Initially, when we don’t hit a few shots early, our defense seems to suffer a little bit. Our energy goes down. And we can’t have that.

“We have to be better at overcoming that early drought of not hitting shots and picking up on the defensive end.”

Whoops! Not long after that, Lowe’s line went blank (Wonder if he has AT&T as his cell service?)

After a minute or so, he was back on the line. In the remaining time, Lowe touched on a variety of points involving the Wolfpack team. One was that State doesn’t seem to have great balance when it comes to scoring, and the return of Tracy Smith after an injury hasn’t bolstered the team as expected.

“I can’t remember the last time we had a game where everybody played well. We haven’t had that in a while,” he said. “Having Tracy back certainly helped but we need other people to play well for us. We’ve had a couple of times now where we would take three or four players who played the majority of minutes and they went 4 for 16. And we can’t do that.

“But with Tracy back we should be better defensively. I don t think we’ve taken advantage of that. I don’t think we’ve defended as well as we need. We need to get games where we have more than two guys playing well.”

Speakingly broadly, Lowe had an almost deflated tone in this news conference. He talked about how tough the Wolfpack’s schedule has been in ACC play, and how this team still has time to make a run, but if you listened to his tone of voice, you had a hard time believing this team is about to roar through the rest of the season.

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Czisny stars in Saturday’s Figuring Skating performance

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Alissa Czisny, reason enough for red-blooded American males to watch figure skating, is back as America’s best female skater after taking the U.S. Figure Skating Championship Saturday night in the sold-out Greensboro Coliseum.

“It’s pretty exciting to come back after thinking about quitting,” Czisny said, “and being able to find my love for the sport again. I love to skate and I want to share it with everybody.”

Third after Friday’s short program, Czisny skated a near-perfect, fluid, energetic long program routine to hold off last year’s champion Rachel Flatt, who made two minor errors in her long program.

Czisny, who has struggled with confidence in the past, appears to be back after finishing 10th in the U.S. championships last year. She also won the U.S. title in 2009 but had struggled until beating the world’s best recently at the Grand Prix final.

“She has so many things you can’t teach,” former men’s champion Scott Hamilton said. “She has a beautiful presence on the ice. You can develop it but what she brings with her spinning and her artistic sense is really amazing.”

Even before the end of her long program, Czisny was smiling as she knew she had nailed it. “What else could you want in a woman figure skater?” Hamilton asked. “Alissa Czisny has it all and she just delivered it. What a comeback.”

Mirai Nagasu, on the other hand, faltered in the long program after leading going into Saturday night. Small errors throughout dropped her to third.

Flatt, competing last, was third after the short program and couldn’t overtake Czisny. “She put together a good routine but two mistakes are too many to hold off a performance like the one delivered by Alissa Czisny,” Hamilton said.

Czisny, who leads the U.S. team to the world championships in Toyko in March, finished with 191.24 points, while Flatt had 183.38 and Nagasu had 177.26.

The men’s champion, with favorites Ryan Bradley and Jeremy Abbott fighting it out, will be determined Sunday. The event closes with a skating spectacular performance Sunday night.

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Facilities, vision led to Raleigh’s impressive success with All-Star Weekend

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The ultra-successful All-Star Weekend in Raleigh was a testament to two critical factors when it comes to professional sports – facilities and vision.

Raleigh had the foresight to commit to building the RBC Center before it had a hockey team, which was a key reason the Hartford Whalers moved south. Pro teams follow the money, and money often means a swank place to play with friendly rent.

Raleigh’s big mistake, as the weekend also highlighted, was the failure to build the arena downtown. Then-mayor Tom Fetzer led the decision to go to cheaper land at the Fairgrounds, even though the downtown renaissance was already underway. The expectation then was businesses would grow up around the new arena, but that hope has never materialized. Meanwhile, the downtown area was the focus of three days of partying for the weekend.

Also due a heaping amount of credit is Jim Cain, the Raleigh product who was the Carolina Hurricanes’ president at a time when the future of the franchise was no given. Cain’s name hasn’t come up much in the reports on the weekend, but he was essential to what happened this weekend.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman promised an All-Star Game in five years if the Canes hit 12,000 season tickets, and Carolina announced on May 31, 2001, that it had sold 12,309 season tickets. A late push by Harris Teeter, which bought 1,000 season tickets, put Carolina over the goal.

“People don’t have to talk about this franchise anymore as a franchise that doesn’t care about hockey,” Cain said at the time. “We’ve got a great community here, a great fan-base and a great organization.”

The NHL hemmed and hawed on its commitment but finally delivered this weekend. The wait was longer than it should have been but wow, was it worth it.