A day after asking for a release from his Letter of Intent that he signed with Wake Forest on Thursday, the Tar Heels have completed the flip of 3✮ DL Nicco Maggio.
As first reported by Don Callahan of Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from Maggio as of Friday evening.
Maggio, the No. 1485 overall prospect and No. 162 defensive lineman in the class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, just concluded his senior season at Buford High School in Buford, GA. This season, he finished with 40 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks and six quarterback hurries, an interception, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in eleven games. Last year, as a junior, he collected 15 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in just three games played because of injury. He first appeared at the varsity level as a sophomore back in 2022 when he racked up three total tackles and a quarterback hurry.
Maggio gives the Tar Heels some much-needed depth at the defensive tackle spot and brings some power with him. While he may be a bit undersized at 6’2, 280 lbs. to play immediately, he still boasts a solid frame that Moses Cabrera and his staff should be able to add to when he arrives this summer. Strength and physicality are not a concern at all for him as he constantly shows on film battling on the interior. His ability to shed blocks and make plays in the backfield is impressive and is set up by a nice first step off the line of scrimmage. The motor is there consistently and he is a very smart and instinctual player that always seems to be where he needs to be. The level of competition is as good as it could be at the high school level and should mean a limited learning curve. His biggest limitation is that he does not have the ability to cover two gaps consistently, but that may not be demanded of him at this level depending on the system that Stephen Belichick wants to run. This is a guy that is very solid in just about everything that he does, but doesn’t blow you away with anything either. That means that he can likely be a steady rotational piece for the team at defensive tackle.
With his commitment, the Tar Heels are right back up to 14 commits in the class, including three interior defensive linemen. The Tar Heel class jumps to 69th overall in the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings, but barely remains 17th in the ACC. This could be the start of a big weekend for this 2025 class.
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