North Carolina’s rise in national recruiting under the second reign of Mack Brown continues, and it rolls on in its home state first and foremost. The latest is Ja’Qurious Conley, a four-star safety from Northside High School (Jacksonville, N.C.).
Conley, who is ranked as the No. 25 safety in the Class of 2020, committed to North Carolina on Thursday, picking the Tar Heels ahead of fellow finalists South Carolina, Duke and Virginia Tech.
“Honestly, [it was] the energy, the vibes from Mack Brown, and most of the commits — I watched them [on film] — being able to play with those guys,” Conley told 247Sports. “Me playing with [the commits] is going to increase my game.”
Conley, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound elite prospect who lined up at virtually every skill position fo Northside, is the fourth four-star recruit from North Carolina to commit to the Tar Heels’ Class of 2020. His pledge reinforces North Carolina’s commitment to owning its home state’s top prospects at all costs.
With Conley on board, the Tar Heels now have commitments from six of the state’s top-16 prospects. There’s still every chance that the state’s top-overall prospect chooses North Carolina, too. If and when he does, Brown will have truly made his mark, and done so much sooner than many expected.
