UNC Football Enjoys 300-Pound Boost on 2025 Recruiting Trail

Next year's UNC football recruiting class welcomes three-star offensive lineman Byron Nelson.
UNC football head coach Mack Brown
UNC football head coach Mack Brown / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Katy High School (Texas) offensive guard Byron Nelson checked out the UNC football program in person last week. He picked up an offer from Mack Brown and his staff before leaving campus.

That followed two other official visits to Pitt and Vanderbilt earlier this month. The June trips marked Nelson's three finalists. And on Friday afternoon, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound rising senior announced his "100%" commitment to the Tar Heels.

He revealed the decision via the following post:

Nelson, who racked up more than a dozen offers in his recruitment, is a three-star prospect appearing at No. 1,073 overall, No. 174 in Texas, and No. 74 among interior offensive linemen on the 247Sports 2025 Composite.

UNC football's 2025 recruiting haul now contains 12 verbal commits: three composite four-star talents, including Gainesville High School (Ga.) offensive tackle Alex Payne, and nine three-stars.

The addition of Byron Nelson, undoubtedly a promising bruiser, bumped the Tar Heels' collection to No. 37 overall in the country, per 247Sports. It currently trails seven fellow ACC schools in the rankings: No. 7 Clemson, No. 16 Miami, No. 18 Georgia Tech, No. 21 Syracuse, No. 22 Stanford, No. 23 Duke, and No. 34 Pitt.

Mack Brown and his recruiting team finished with the nation's No. 26 class in the 2024 arena.

More UNC Football News


Published
Matt Giles

MATT GILES

Matt Giles is the editor and publisher of FanNation's Blue Devil Country and All Tar Heels, covering the Duke Blue Devils and UNC Tar Heels on SI.com.