4-Star LB Wilson Commits

Payton Wilson will be a Tar Heel, the 4-star linebacker announced Monday afternoon.

The Hillsborough, NC, (Orange County H.S.) star chose North Carolina after recently narrowing his list to Ohio State, Virginia Tech and Clemson. In addition to the Tar Heels, Wilson also fielded offers from Alabama, Florida State, Penn State, Auburn and Wisconsin, among many others.

“I like how close it is to home," he recently told THI. "I like the coaches and the football team is really good.”

Wilson said he's always been comfortable at UNC and believes he can get on the field pretty early for the Tar Heels.

“It’s felt like home for the whole recruiting process and I just feel like it’s the place I can go and get some playing time,” Wilson told Rivals.com. “The future is bright for UNC and my recruiting class. I’m ready to go to UNC and see what we can do.

“Cayson Collins will be leaving when I’m coming in,” he said. “That’s an opportunity that’s open that I can work and fight for. Coach JP and coach Ekeler will make me the best player I can be."

At 6-4 and 225 pounds, Wilson began to turn heads last summer at Fedora’s Freak Show in Chapel Hill. Yet, an offer from the Tar Heels didn’t come until October, but it was Wilson’s dream offer.

“It has been a dream for a while,” Wilson told THI at the time.

Wilson has consistently said he doesn’t want to wait too long to be a part of the linebacker rotation in college, and clearly saw an opportunity to play early at Carolina.

UNC will have three true freshmen linebackers on the roster this fall, all of whom may redshirt, but the only sophomore of note is Johnathan Smith. So, early playing time will be a possibility for him.

Wilson is cousins with current UNC freshman offensive lineman Jonah Melton, who enrolled this past January.

Like Dyami Brown, a 4-star wide receiver who committed last week, Wilson said he will recruit hard for the Tar Heels.

“I feel like I can recruit other guys because that’s going to be my future team,” Wilson said. “I’m in touch with a lot of other guys UNC is recruiting. I feel like we could build this thing and have a great future.”

Stay with THI for more on this developing story.