The Tar Heels’ 2025 recruiting class was already being picked clean by the rest of the country prior to the news of Mack Brown’s firing and now with the search for his replacement officially underway, two of the team’s remaining commitments are taking a look at some possible options.
With just one more official visit weekend before the early signing period, 4✮ QB Bryce Baker and 3✮ S Javion Butts will be taking visits to schools that have turned up the heat since Brown’s announced departure.
Baker, the highest-rated member of the current Tar Heel recruiting class, will visit Penn State this weekend for the team’s game against Maryland. This visit will take place immediately after Friday night’s third-round matchup in the NCHSAA 4A Playoffs with Mooresville. So far in his senior at in-state East Forsyth High School, Baker has thrown for 3,096 yards and posted a 36-4 touchdown-interception ratio while completing 77.6% of his passes. He has also run for 343 yards and six touchdowns on 60 rush attempts.
Butts, meanwhile, will be heading out to Missouri for a visit to watch them face Arkansas. His senior season at Jones County High School in Gray, GA came to an end last week in the second round of the GHSA 4A Playoffs. He finished the year with 37 total tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and three pass deflections in six games.
Ideally, the Tar Heels would love for these guys to at least delay their decisions until February to give whoever they end up hiring as their new coach an opportunity to keep them as part of a class that will involve a lot of work to save.