UNC football reaps rewards on Signing Day

A year ago, Coach Larry Fedora and his staff were selling hope, the idea that the North Carolina football team would awake from its slumber and return to prominence.

After an 11-1 regular season, an ACC Coastal Division title and a defensive turnaround of vast proportions, those what-ifs have turned into tangible evidence for the Tar Heels to sell to recruits.

The bounty for UNC’s success was evident on Wednesday, as the Tar Heels finished National Signing Day with the No. 33 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. With 26 total signees, this class marks the largest under Fedora.

“Winning helps in every aspect of the program,” Fedora said. “But definitely in recruiting.”

From its recruiting haul, UNC welcomes 16 players to a defense that made significant strides under defensive coordinator Gene Chizik.

After allowing 14.5 fewer points per game in 2015 compared to 2014 — marking the biggest jump for a Power 5 program — Chizik said the defense’s improvement helped draw recruits.

“I think most of the recruits we entertained starting back a year ago when I got here were guys that already had a familiarity with North Carolina,” Chizik said.

“I think they were all waiting to see exactly where this program is going ... They saw the fruits of our labor, and I think a lot of them were excited about the possibility of jumping on board with that.”

North Carolina’s 11-win campaign helped rejuvenate a program that has been plagued by the ongoing NCAA investigation.

And after spending past seasons saying opponents used the NCAA investigation to turn recruits away from UNC, Fedora said this tactic no longer has the same impact as it once did.

“I really believe that cloud that’s been hanging over our head for the previous four years has dissipated,” Fedora said. “It’s not there, it’s not like it was ... I just think people are tired of hearing about it and they know there’s been a lot of crying wolf about what’s going to happen — and none of those things have happened.”

A majority of the Tar Heels’ recruits had already committed before the start of the 2015 campaign. And while Fedora said his team’s success helped lock in a few recruits, he believes UNC will see more of a bump with future classes.

“I think it’s going to be huge for the future,” said offensive coordinator Chris Kapilovic. “I think you see some doors opening, some success in the 2017 class.

“A lot of these kids we signed were already committed before the season started, so I think it helped confirm their commitments and opened some doors for the next couple of years, for sure.”

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