We are in the midst of the 2025 recruiting cycle as the Tar Heels search for the future stars they hope can finally take them to the next level. Like every recruiting class, this one will contain some gems and some busts. This got us to thinking, who are the biggest Tar Heel recruiting gems of the modern recruiting era? Here are the ten guys who have been the biggest diamonds in the rough since 2002.
1.2018 3✮ RB Javonte Williams
Rankings: No. 1476 overall, No. 94 RB
Williams went from being one of the lowest ranked prospects in his recruiting class to one of the best running backs in all of college football in his three seasons in Chapel Hill. He first caught the eyes of Tar Heel fans at the end of the 2018 season as a true freshman where he led the team in rushing in the final two games and parlayed that into a strong sophomore season where he ran for 933 yards and five touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown. While that already might have been enough to land him on this list, his junior season vaulted him to the top. He finished with 1,140 yards rushing, 305 yards receiving and 22 total touchdowns, which is still a program record, on his way to earning 2nd Team All-American honors from the Associated Press and 2nd Team All-ACC honors. Williams not only overachieved, but is one of the best running backs in program history.
2. 2010 3✮ CB Tre Boston
Rankings: No. 815 overall, No. 62 CB
Boston is one of the most accomplished defensive backs in program history despite being a player who couldn’t even crack the top 800 in his recruiting class. His impact began immediately as a true freshman where he played in ten games at corner, racking up 32 total tackles, one interception and four passes defensed. He would make the move to safety prior his sophomore season and became one of the best in the conference, piling up 250 total tackles, 12 interceptions and eighteen passes defensed in his final three years on campus. He would earn All-ACC honorable mention as a junior before closing out his career with his best season yet (94 ttkl, 5 INT, 6 PD) and earning All-ACC second team honors.
3. 2017 3✮ ATH Dazz Newsome
Rankings: No. 1085 overall, No. 71 ATH
Newsome is part of a long track record of success that the program has with developing receivers. Similar to Williams, his impact started in the final couple of games of his true freshman season and took off from there. He would finish second on the team in receiving each of the next three seasons, posting at least 40 catches and 500 receiving yards in each of those years. He finished his career with 2,435 receiving yards (6th in program history) and 18 receiving touchdowns (T-8th in program history) on 188 receptions (4th in program history). He also brought nice value in the punt return gamel , averaging 11.1 yards per return and scoring one touchdown on his 48 returns.
4. 2005 3✮ WR Brandon Tate
Rankings: No. 966 overall, No. 96 WR
Speaking of guys who were productive returners, Tate is one of the best kick returners in ACC history despite being ranked as low as he was coming out of high school. He currently sits fourth in conference history in career kick return yards (2,688) and tied for sixth in career kick return touchdowns (3), numbers that could have been even better if he had not suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his final season on campus. Somehow, he was only able to earn All-ACC honorable mention in 2007 and 2008, but the injury likely prevented him from earning higher honors in that final season. He also put up some solid receiving numbers alongside program great Hakeem Nicks, catching 46 passes for 927 yards and eight touchdowns in his final three seasons.
5. 2012 3✮ OT Jon Heck
Rankings: No. 1129 overall, No. 103 OT
Both of the Heck brothers could have landed on this list, but Jon gets the nod, especially with the fact that he was ranked lower coming out of high school. After redshirting in his first season on campus, he would start 50 of the team’s next 53 games, including every game of the team’s 11-3 season in 2015. In the 1,324 pass blocking reps that he took in his career, he allowed just four sacks, an incredible number, especially when you think about the struggles that the program has had protecting the quarterback the last few years. He earned second team All-ACC honors in each of his final two seasons and is seen as one of the best offensive linemen the program has had since the turn of the century.
6. 2006 3✮ PRO T.J. Yates
Rankings: No. 952 overall, No. 38 PRO
Most of the Tar Heels' great quarterbacks have been high rated players coming out of high school, but that was not the case for Yates. He may have come in ranked in the 900s, but he left as the program’s most productive passer. After taking over the starting job ahead of his redshirt freshman season, he would start 44 games in a Tar Heel uniform, a number that is still tied for the most in program history. His 9,377 passing yards remain second in program history, while his 58 passing touchdowns still sit fifth. He maintains the program records for completions and pass attempts and is one of just three quarterbacks with three 400-yard passing games. One can only wonder what his numbers would look like if he had been able to play in a spread offense.
7. 2009 3✮ WR Erik Highsmith
Rankings: No. 1642 overall, No. 180 WR
Highsmith was one of the lowest ranked players in his entire class but became one of the most productive wide receivers in program history. While he may have never had a season with more than 726 receiving yards, he did finish with at least 348 yards and two touchdowns in each of his four seasons on campus. Despite never landing even as much as an All-ACC honorable mention, he still sits tied for 11th in program history in career receiving yards (2,086) and tied for tenth in career receiving touchdowns (15).
8. 2014 3✮ OLB Malik Carney
Rankings: No. 1266 overall, No. 87 OLB
Carney is another prospect who was ranked outside the top 1000 in his class and turned into one of the most productive players of the decade at his position for the program. Despite a quiet first two years and a four game suspension in his senior season, he still finished with 176 total tackles, 33.0 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. In his senior season, he finished with career highs in all of those categories (60 ttkl, 12.5 TFL, 6.5 scks) in just eight games. He may have been higher on this list if he hadn’t been suspended in that final season.
9. 2019 3✮ OT Asim Richards
Rankings: No. 902 overall, No. 73 OT
Richards may not have been the highest ranked offensive lineman that the Tar Heels brought in during the 2019 recruiting cycle, but he turned into arguably the best offensive lineman of the Mack Brown 2.0 era. He became a starter as a sophomore in 2020 and played at least 695 snaps in his final three seasons. After struggling a bit in pass protection in his first season as a starter, Richards would allow just eight sacks in his final two seasons in Chapel Hill, including three as a senior when he earned third team All-ACC honors.
10. 2010 3✮ CB Jabari Price
Rankings: No. 887 overall, No. 67 CB
Boston wasn’t the only cornerback in the 2010 recruiting class that outplayed his low ranking coming out of high school. While Price didn’t immediately become a starter like Boston, he did take over as a starter in the final four games of his true freshman season. He was an on and off starter as a sophomore, but returned to his starting role in his final two seasons where he posted at least 76 tackles and nine passes defensed in each of those years. His senior season saw him take home All-ACC honorable mention, something he probably should have received as a junior as well.
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