June is a huge month for the Tar Heels on the 2023 recruiting trail and the team landed their first commitment of the month on Monday.
2023 3✮ LB Caleb LaVallee announced his commitment to Carolina just a short time ago via social media, picking the Tar Heels over Florida State, Wake Forest and others. His commitment comes after his official visit to campus this weekend, his fourth overall trip to Chapel Hill, by far the most of any of his other offers.
LaVallee, the No. 65 linebacker in the 2023 class according to 247Sports, will enter his senior season at Whitefield Academy in Mableton, GA following an outstanding performance as a junior last fall. He led Whitefield in total tackles (116), tackles for loss (16.0) and sacks (6.0), rushing yards (695) and rushing touchdowns (11), earning Region 2A Private player of the year, All-Region and All-State honors. This came after a sophomore season where he burst onto the scene, finishing with 135 total tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, earning All-State and All-Region honors.
LaVallee will be one that Tar Heel fans will love once they turn on his film. He has the athleticism and speed that fits what the team wants in their linebackers and has the ability to go sideline to sideline with ease. He doesn’t drop into coverage that often, but looks more than capable when he does if he needs to. LaVallee does have a slender frame, but lives in the backfield on tape due to that speed and is a sure-handed tackler that can wrap up and finish solo tackles consistently. The level of play and the size is a bit of a concern that probably means he will take some time to develop when he gets on campus, but there is a lot to like about this high-energy tackling machine.
With the commitment, the Tar Heels class jumps up from 51st overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings to 46th. The team does stay 9th in the ACC rankings, though. The hope is that this kicks off a big month of June for Mack Brown and company as they look to piece together another strong class.
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