Prior Relationships Helped Bring Egbuna To UNC

Obi Egbuna’s courtship from North Carolina wasn’t a long one, but it was certainly productive.

Two weeks ago, the 5-11, 170-pound cornerback from Charlotte (NC) Christian was nowhere near UNC’s recruiting radar, but once Dre’ Bly and Jay Bateman came on board, that changed, and so did Egbuna’s college decision.

Egbuna visited UNC this past weekend, taking in the Tar Heels’ basketball game versus Gonzaga, and on Sunday he flipped his commitment from Richmond to Carolina.

“Words can’t describe how excited I am to be a part of this great place,” he told THI on Sunday evening.

Egbuna knew Bateman, the former defensive coordinator at Army, because one of his dozen or so offers is from West Point. He’s known Bly for a few years, training under him in the Charlotte area.

“My sophomore year, Dre’ heard about me and invited me out to one of his 7-on-7 tryouts,” Egbuna said. “I went out there and competed against some of the best players in North Carolina and really caught his attention. My family is close with him for sure.”

Bly joined new head coach Mack Brown’s staff two weeks ago and last week Bateman came on board. So, that’s when their awareness of Egbuna got the ball rolling. The offer came early Sunday morning and it really an easy sell.

“I have great relationships with both of them,” Egbuna said.

It also helped that Egbuna had such a great time in Chapel Hill over the weekend. His relationships, an opportunity to play at a Power 5 program and being instate are all nice, but Egbuna loved being a part of things and the whole UNC experience in the Smith Center on Saturday night.

“That game was so crazy,” he said. “The energy in that arena is just special.”

Egbuna has two other FBS offers, from Army, as noted, and Charlotte. He’s also had plenty of recent interest from Wake Forest and East Carolina. An excellent student, among Egbuna’s other offers are from outstanding academic schools such as William & Mary and Colgate, plus a few that have already been mentioned.

Egbuna will sign with UNC on Wednesday and enroll in the summer.