While Carolina football’s 2022 recruiting class is still taking shape, head coach Mack Brown and company are wasting no time in adding to their 2023 crop.

Tad Hudson, a four-star quarterback recruit from Hough High School in Cornelius, N.C., committed to Brown and the Tar Heels Sunday night via his Twitter page.

Hudson is the first recruit to join UNC’s 2023 class. He is ranked as the No. 3 player in North Carolina, as well as the No. 14 quarterback nationally and No. 175 overall, according to 247 Sports.

“He has really good size, above-average arm strength, he runs well, he’s smart, he’s a three-sport athlete,” Hough head coach Matt Jenkins told Inside Carolina. “He’ll be the sixth D1 quarterback that I’ve coached and, at this stage and time, he’s the best one.”

Last Saturday’s Carolina Cookout, an annual recruiting event held in UNC’s state-of-the-art indoor facility, was the latest of Hudson’s multiple visits to Chapel Hill, capping off a recruitment that began in the fall of 2019. Hudson chose UNC over a group of schools that includes Auburn, Michigan State and Texas.

Hudson led Hough to an 8-1 record last spring in his sophomore season, throwing for 1,549 yards and 16 touchdowns and leading the Huskies to the second round of the state 4AA playoffs. He also played on Hough’s baseball team that amassed a 15-1 record last season.

Between Hudson, Jacolby Criswell, Drake Maye, and 2022 commitment Conner Harrell, the quarterback competition in Chapel Hill will be fierce once Sam Howell leaves campus.

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