Last weekend, Tar Heels’ 2025 4✮ OT Alex Payne took a visit to Los Angeles for the USC Trojans game with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Now, less than a week later, the Tar Heels have just suffered the most impactful decommitment of this recruiting cycle.
Earlier this evening, On3 Sports national recruiting and transfer portal reporter Hayes Fawcett made it official that Payne was flipping his commitment from Carolina to USC. The Trojans made quick work of his recruitment after offering him a month, staying in constant communication and pushing to get him on campus as early as possible, making him feel like a priority. In his comments to On3 Sports, Payne said that the educational program also factored heavily into his decision.
With the decommitment, the Tar Heels have just ten commitments in their 2025 class. According to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, the class now sits 78th overall, which is the third lowest amongst Power 4 schools. The class also sits 16th in the ACC rankings.
When it comes to replacing Payne, the team doesn’t have any remaining targets along the offensive line, meaning they will likely finish this class without an offensive tackle commit. This is yet another position group where you like to add at least one commitment each year that they won’t, joining linebacker and tight end, the other two spots where the team has lost commitments from in this class. Mack Brown and his staff must now act quickly to have any chance of saving this sinking class.
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