The good news is that Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi released a list of 39 high school seniors (including a few jucos) who’ve signed to play for the Tar Heels and most will enroll early for spring practice.
The bad news is of those signees, there are no 5-stars and less than half of them are 4-star recruits. Of the 81 best prep seniors in the state, according to 247Sports, Carolina landed just five of them. N.C. State signed seven and the best of them are going away to “football schools.”
The good news is with football scholarships raised to more than 100, Belichick’s staff will have a far bigger roster for spring practice, compared to a much smaller group last March.
The bad news, according to Lombardi, all 39 will receive an “acclimation” fee that comes from Carolina football’s piece of $20.5 million of revenue share for scholarship athletes.
“There’s no freshman that’s going to any school in this country who’s not getting a rev share contract,” Lombardi said at a press conference. “That’s just part of the landscape that we’re in. It’s a highly competitive environment and anybody that tells you differently hasn’t recruited against any of these teams.”
The good news is the transfer portal opens soon and closes in mid-January, allowing UNC a chance to woo proven college players they missed by starting last December with a big learning curve.
The bad news is schools will have bidding wars to get the best players for the most money. And after a 4-8 season, the Tar Heels have lost some bargaining power they had by trading on Belichick’s name before he ever coached a college game.
The good news is there are more scholarships available than the minimum 85 when the House versus NCAA settlement began last July 1. And besides revenue share, athletes can also be paid money for NIL sponsorships.
The bad news is that the NCAA and Deloitte are supposedly regulating NIL so that athletes are paid no more than the actual value of their Name-Image-Likeness through social media, public appearances, TV commercials, etc. Since NIL began in 2021, many schools have used it as “pay for play” without any guardrails.
The good news is some schools with wealthy athletic boosters have pushed back on those regulations and will continue paying athletes whatever they want through corporate donations.
The bad news is that, historically, UNC has abided by recruiting rules and doesn’t have over-the-top alumni and fans and doesn’t want that to ever change.
“It’s a big class and we’re excited about the players who have signed here and are committed here,” said The Hoodie. “They will be a foundation for our program.
“Most will be here in January, which will give them more time to train and develop as players for the fall. Some have already started to bond as a recruiting class.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
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Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
