With the marquee signing of five-star cornerback Tony Grimes on June 30, North Carolina’s football recruiting class of 2021 is now slated No. 3 in the nation, according to 247Sports.
The last time the Tar Heels recruited a top 10 class was in 2007, the first recruiting class to come in under then-head coach Butch Davis. While that era is largely remembered for scandal, vacated wins and Davis' firing, there is no denying the success the team saw.
After going 4-8 in 2007, the Tar Heels posted back-to-back-to-back 8-5 seasons over the next three years, including three bowl games and a win in the 2010 Music City Bowl in double-overtime over Tennessee. For a team that hadn’t posted a winning season since 2001, this was a major improvement. Here's a look at some of the recruits from that highly touted 2007 class and see how they contributed to this success, and how their careers panned out at UNC and beyond.
Marvin Austin
On UNC’s all-time football recruits page on 247Sports, only one player has a higher evaluation than Grimes: Marvin Austin. A five-star defensive tackle from Washington D.C., Austin is considered the 82nd best football recruit of all time by 247Sports Composite. While Austin may not have lived up to his mercurial potential — and was kicked off the team for receiving improper benefits in 2010 — he was still a sturdy presence on the line.
Thrust into a major role as a first-year, Austin held his own, registering 26 tackles, including six for a loss and four sacks. After a solid sophomore campaign, he blossomed in 2009. In his junior season, he had 42 tackles, six for a loss and four sacks, as well as three pass breakups and a forced fumble. All this earned him a selection to the second-team All-ACC. Though his draft stock was high, a 2010 season spent in suspension led to him falling out of the first round. In the 2011 NFL draft, he was chosen 52nd overall by the New York Giants.
Austin’s journeyman NFL career was hampered by multiple injuries. After missing out on his rookie season due to a chest injury sustained in the preseason, he debuted in Week 2 of his second season. He played eight games with the Giants before being released. He then had short stints with the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos before leaving the league in 2014 at just 25 years old.
Quantavius Sturdivant
A four-star linebacker from Oakboro, North Carolina, Quantavius Sturdivant was considered the 10th-best recruit from the state in 2007. Despite not being considered one of the nation's elite prospects, Sturdivant had a standout career as a Tar Heel.
