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Writer's pictureAnthony Pagnotta

Heel Tough Blog: Malaki Hamrick Commitment Preview


Dean Strickland- HighSchoolOT.com

The first full slate of spring high school football in the state of North Carolina is set to get underway on Friday night, but the eyes of Tar Heel fans will be on the commitment of one of the top targets in the 2022 class. 2022 4✮ OLB Malaki Hamrick announced a few weeks ago that he will be committing on Friday ahead of his junior season at Shelby High School in Shelby, NC. Back in November, he released his top five, but as we head into his decision, it appears as if this is a two horse race for one of the most productive straight-line pass rushers in the country.


Hamrick’s recruitment has been relatively straightforward with the Tar Heels in a great spot from the beginning. The team nearly landed a commitment from him back in the summer when he first received his offer from Mack Brown and the staff, but even with that not being the case, it set the team up nicely. The recruiting dead period has been a big help in this recruitment, leaving the Tar Heels as one of the few places that he has visited and easily the place he has visited the most. With that being said, there is still one team that has fought valiantly to keep themselves in the running for his commitment and still has an outside shot.


The battle appears as if it will come down to the Tar Heels and the Ohio State Buckeyes for one of the most productive pass rushers in the class and the Tar Heels have to feel confident about where they are heading in. According to the crystal ball predictions on both 247Sports and Rivals.com, the Tar Heels are firmly in the driver’s seat at the moment, controlling all of eight of the predictions cast between the two sites. The Tar Heels have been the longtime favorites for his services since they offered back in May and while the Buckeyes made a hard charge, it appears that it may come up short.


The Tar Heels don’t currently have an in-state commitment in the 2022 class, but it looks as if that will be changing shortly. The Buckeyes fought hard and made a nice push, but his connection to the program as a fan since he was younger appears to be too much to overcome. Barring something shocking, the Tar Heels will continue the building of the fence around the state on Friday.


Prediction: North Carolina


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