Diego Pounds, a 3-star offensive lineman who attends Millbrook High School in Raleigh, NC, has committed to play football at North Carolina, he announced Friday afternoon.

The 6-foot-6, 305-pounder chose the Tar Heels over Penn State, which was considered the leader for Pounds for some time. But Mack Brown’s program eventually extended an anticipated offer and UNC was able to land him.

Pounds has nearly 40 offers, including from Alabama, LSU, Oregon, UCLA, Michigan, Auburn, Miami, and, of course, the Tar Heels and Nittany Lions.

Pounds intended on visiting State College, PA, in July with his family, but the trip never materialized, so he never did get to see PSU in person. UNC offered on Aug. 5, one day after Jared Wilson flipped back to Georgia.

Auburn and LSU were the other schools on Pounds’ final list.

Pounds is the 17th member of UNC’s class of 2021 and he’s the first commit since Trevion Stevenson popped for the Tar Heels on July 18. UNC’s class ranking is at No. 16 in the nation, a figure affected after 5-star CB Tony Grimes reclassified to 2020.

So what type of player in UNC getting in Pounds?

“Big and athletic lineman. Great young man that everyone loves," Millbrook Coach Clarence Inscore told THI. "He is a great person with a big personality. Loads of potential.”

“Pounds is a very powerful offensive tackle that will be crucial in building quality depth in the trenches. Adding him along with Eli Sutton give the Tar Heels two very good tackles. He is another in-state kid from a local school in Raleigh, so Mack Brown continues to keep talent home."