Answering the telephone these days is quite an adventure for Richard Bailey, the head football coach at Jack Britt High School in Fayetteville, N.C.

"We’ve been getting calls from Bobby Bowden, Tommy Bowden, Lloyd Carr, Coach (Phil) Fulmer, and John Bunting has called already this week. They just keep coming," Bailey said. "All the schools are sending in their closers at this point."

All those prominent Division I coaches and more are burning up the telephone lines to Jack Britt in hopes of hearing a verbal commitment from one of the nation’s top prep prospects.

Senior Aaron Kirkland is rated the nation’s No. 4 tight end by SuperPrep recruiting magazine and the sixth-best prospect in North Carolina this season. Interest in the 6-foot-5, 256-pounder continues to intensify as he enjoys a strong senior campaign for the Bucs.

"He’s having a real good season, especially on defense," Bailey said. "A lot more schools are talking to him about playing defense now. Last year was his first time ever playing defense. A lot of the things he had to think about last year are instinctive now.

"We don’t throw the ball to him enough on offense. We need to find better ways to get him the ball. But he is an incredible blocker. You look at the film and he dominates anyone who’s up against him. I don’t know his exact stats, but he’s averaging five or six pancake blocks a game. He just lays guys out."

While sparking Jack Britt to a 6-1 start on Fridays, Kirkland has also been a busy man on Saturdays. He’s taken unofficial visits to watch North Carolina-Florida State, Tennessee-LSU and North Carolina-Clemson. Kirkland calls the Tar Heels and Volunteers his leaders.

"At this point they are because they are the two that have been consistent recruiting me," Kirkland said. "They call like every other week. Coach Bunting and Coach Fulmer have sent handwritten letters.

"Both schools have talked about giving me the chance to come in and start as a true freshman. They’re both very family oriented programs and are all about education."

Because Kirkland is already so familiar with UNC and Tennessee, he says he might not use any of his five official visits there.

Instead, he may take official trips to Clemson, Florida State, Michigan, Penn State and South Carolina.

"That’s something I’m thinking about since I’ve spent a lot of time at those schools already," Kirkland said. "But I haven’t set up any official dates yet. I’ll probably take all my official trips in January.

"I could also wake up one morning and decide on a school. But for now I’m planning to take my visits."

The Tar Heels are recruiting Kirkland as a defensive end, while the Volunteers want him as a tight end. Kirkland doesn’t have a preference.

"It doesn’t matter to me," Kirkland said. "A lot of schools are saying they’ll try me at both positions. Whichever one I’m best at, then that will be my position.

"I think I’m equally good at both positions."

Bailey thinks Kirkland could excel at any number of positions at the college level, depending on how heavy he gets.

"He weighs 250 right now and doesn’t have an ounce of fat on his body," Bailey said. "He has big, broad shoulders and is a thick-chested guy. They’ll have to keep his weight down to keep him at tight end.

"He could easily weigh 260 or 265 and not get a step slower. If they wanted to, they could decide to really bulk him up to about 300 and he could play defensive tackle or even offensive tackle."

Speaking of offensive linemen, Ryan Carter of Groveland, Fla., who had made an unofficial visit to UNC earlier this month, made a verbal commitment to Florida on October 15. The 6-5, 330-pound Carter had favored the Gators from the start of the recruiting process, but left UNC impressed after his visit. But the lure of playing closer to home was too great. He was also considering Alabama, BYU, Kansas State and Oklahoma.

Offensive lineman Dustin Fry of Summerville, S.C., says he’s planning to make an official visit to North Carolina. Fry, a 6-2, 295-pounder, is rated the nation’s No. 16 offensive line prospect by SuperPrep. He’s already set up official visits with South Carolina (Dec. 7) and Clemson (Jan. 11).

Another star from the Palmetto State expected to make an official visit to UNC is 6-5, 235-pound defensive end Chris Knoepfel from Lexington, S.C. Knoepfel is listing the Tar Heels and South Carolina as his top two. Clemson and Michigan State are also showing interest.