The Tar Heels already have a running back committed in the 2026 class and the team is now being tied to a committed running back who is looking elsewhere.
According to On3 Sports recruiting insider Steve Wiltfong, the Tar Heels are one of the teams that 2026 4✮ RB Messiah Mickens is exploring after Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider left the team for Notre Dame. He is also considering Missouri, Notre Dame and Tennessee following Seider’s move.
Mickens, the No. 11 running back in the class according to 247Sports Composite Player Rankings, just concluded his junior season at Harrisburg High School in Harrisburg, PA. In 14 games, he ran for 1,215 yards and 21 touchdowns on 155 carries and caught 17 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. The prior season, he carried the ball 105 times for 961 yards and 14 touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in eleven games. He first jumped onto the scene in 2022 as a freshman when he ran for 1,078 yards and 19 touchdowns on 136 carries and hauled in 16 passes for 200 yards in 14 games.
This will certainly be something worth monitoring over the next couple of months as the Tar Heels look to add to the running back position alongside 3✮ do-it-all back Crew Davis.
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